The creative media industries and workforce in Wales
Size and shape of the workforce
Employment within the creative media industries in Wales is just over 13,300, which is around 3% of the UK's creative media industries workforce. 36% of the workforce are working as freelancers.
The largest sectors in Wales in terms of workforce are Publishing (around 4,200 people employed), Television (2,400 employees) and Interactive Media (1,700 employees).
Women represent 38% of the creative media workforce in Wales, 3% of the workforce identify themselves as being from an Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) background and 4% consider themselves to have a disability (as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act).
41% of the workforce in Wales can understand, speak, read, or write Welsh, compared to the 21% national average.
Sector by sector
Animation
Animation is a particular strength in Wales with the three leading Welsh animation studios clustered around the Cardiff Bay area.
The sector employs some 400 people in Wales, which is about 8% of the overall UK animation workforce, and produces approximately 1500 minutes (25 hours) of animation per year across a wide range of programming types. It is estimated the total annual turnover of Welsh animation is approximately £7.5m.
Computer Games
Wales has a growing computer gaming sector with Jester Interactive Limited as the largest company in Wales operating in the development and publication of software to the computer followed closely by Gamesworld 7, Broadsword Interactive and Dark Rock Games, which was recently established by four graduates from the University of Wales's Games Development and Artificial Intelligence course.
Facilities
Compared to the UK figure of around 45,000 employees, the facilities sector in Wales only employs around 700 people.
As this sector is predominantly based around those businesses that it supports, it is therefore heavily concentrated in London. However, Welsh company Barcud Derwen is the largest televsion and film facilities company outside of London with an established track record of award winning work for broadcast, film, and new media production.
Film
During 2007-08, over 90 productions which were shot in Wales, bringing in an expenditure of approximately £31.9 million.
The £7million Wales Creative IP Fund has been a major boost to film production in Wales, financing feature film productions like the Edge of Love. This has helped to prove that internationally successful content can be made in Wales, and this film alone generated more than £1 million of direct economic benefits to the region.
Interactive Media
As with the UK as a whole, the Interactive Media sector in Wales is a rapidly growing sector: at present there are approximately 100 interactive media companies in Wales, employing 1,700 people the key platforms of web and internet, interactive television and offline multimedia. Freelancers account for around 26% of the workforce in Wales.
Photo Imaging
The photo imaging industry in Wales currently employs around 1,200 people, compared with 43,800 in the UK. Most of these are micro businesses, and at least 6 out of 10 businesses do not employ any full time staff. Two thirds of businesses in the photo imaging Sector in Wales employ freelancers.
Publishing
Wales has 2% of the publishing industry in the UK with over 4,100 people working in the sector. There is a thriving Welsh language market for educational, reference and fiction titles for books, magazines and newspapers.
The largest sector is newspapers with over half of the workforce, followed by books and news agencies. Key employers include NWN Media Ltd, Trinity Mirror North Wales and Cambrian News, in addition to the local and regional press. The Welsh Books Council supports the many small independent book and magazine publishers.
Radio
Wales has the highest levels of radio listening in the UK, with radio audiences in Wales averaging 24.4 hours of listening per week. The radio sector employs around 1,000 people across Wales in enterprises which range from very large corporations such as the BBC to small, not-for-profit community radio stations.
Digital radio availability is also set to increase in Wales with the award of 3 local digital radio multiplex licenses in 2007/08, covering North East Wales, Mid and West Wales and North Wales.
Television
Just over 2,400 people work in the television industry in Wales. Compared to the size of the population (approximately 3 million people), levels of network production are low in Wales. Wales accounts for approximately 4.9% of population of UK, but accounts for only 0.7 % of network production.
The Independent sector in Wales is a significant employer. Consolidation with the Independent sector has led to Welsh companies such as Tinopolis and Boomerang becoming major players within the UK TV sector.
Teledwyr Annibynnol Cymru (TAC), the trade association that represents the interests of the independent sector in Wales, currently has over 30 members who have a combined turnover of over £100million.
Data taken from the Skillset 2006 Employment Census, Skillset/UK Film Council Feature Film Production Workforce Survey 2008, Experian 2007, Skillset/Equity Performing Arts Industry Workforce Survey 2005 and LFS 2005. For more information, please visit our Research section.
