The Creative Media Industries and workforce in Scotland
Size and shape of the workforce
The Creative Media Industries workforce in Scotland numbers just around 19,550 people in around 1,100 companies.
40% of those working in the Creative Media Industries in Scotland are freelancers. Women represent 33% of the workforce; people from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds make up 2% of the workforce and 6% of the workforce is reported as having a disability.
Sector by sector
Animation
Over 500 people employed in animation companies with more employed in animation roles in other creative media sectors.
The animation industry faces a number of challenges including offshoring and it is also susceptible to changes in the wider Creative Media Industries. For example, the decline in commissioning of animation by broadcasters in the domestic market due to the significant changes in the television industry.
Computer Games
Around 500 people work in computer games. Scotland has carved a significant niche in this market with a number of high-end studios producing games for worldwide distribution.
However, the global nature of the games market means the industry faces strong competition for the traditional leading nations of USA, Japan and the UK.
Facilities
Nearly 1,000 people employed in the sub sectors of post production, studio and equipment hire, special effects and outside broadcast. The relatively small size of this sector is perhaps reflective of the generally lower levels of production currently typical.
Fashion and Textiles
The Fashion and Textiles sector in Scotland employs over 23,000 people in 5,230 workplaces and covers employment in sub-sectors such as apparel and sewn products, textiles, footwear and leather, dry-cleaning and laundry and design.
The fashion and textiles sector in Scotland still has a considerable manufacturing base that is increasingly looking overseas for trading opportunities. The "Scottish style", incorporating goods such as formal outerwear, cashmere knitwear, Harris Tweed and kilts which are all popular with export markets around the world.
Film
The UK is one of the top three film production sectors in the world, attracting significant inward investment, and with a substantial US studio presence in London and the South East.
In Scotland the film industry presents a far more fragmented economic picture with more unpredictable levels of production. However, it is strategically important because of the potential economic benefits of a vibrant indigenous film industry, and the potential cultural impact across the country as a whole.
Around 950 people operating in the key sub sectors of production live in Scotland. A key issue for the industry in Scotland is that of retaining and sustaining talent once it has been trained and developed.
Interactive media
1,050 people work for specialist companies in the key platforms of web and internet, interactive television, offline multimedia.
These sub sectors vary in the extent to which they are characterised by the exploitation of content and/or service provision. Web and internet content is primarily service based whereas the interactive television sub sector provides both.
Photo imaging
In Scotland the photo imaging sector employs around 2,200 photographers. This figure is based on an estimate of the proportion of the photo imaging workforce based in Scotland, drawing on Skillset's 2007 Photo Imaging Workforce Survey and the total UK employment estimate from the ONS Labour Force Survey April-June 2009.
Publishing
Scotland's publishing sector employs 9,000 people.
The majority work in the newspaper industry on national, regional and local daily and weekly news media. Major employers include The Scotsman Publications Ltd, Daily Record (Trinity Mirror) and Aberdeen Journals Ltd.
There is a high profile book publishing industry with larger educational publishers such as Leckie and Leckie as well as small independent fiction and non-fiction publishers such as Mainstream and Canongate. Gaelic language publishing is predominantly through small independent publishers.
Radio
1,650 individuals work in publicly funded, commercial, community and voluntary radio. Scotland's radio enterprises range from very large corporations such as the BBC to small, not-for-profit community radio stations.
Television
Over 1,950 people work in broadcast TV, cable and satellite and independent production.
Source: Skillset 2009 Employment Census (all creative sub-sectors excluding film production, photo imaging and publishing), Skillset/UK Film Council Feature Film Production Workforce Survey 2008 (area live), and Labour Force Survey April - June 2009. For more information, please visit our Research section.