The creative media industries and workforce in Scotland
Size and shape of the workforce
The creative media industries workforce in Scotland numbers just under 27,000 people in around 1,200 companies. This equates to 6% of the UK's creative media industries workforce.
38% of those working in the creative media industries in Scotland are freelancers. Women represent 36% of the workforce; people from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds make up 2% of the workforce and 2% of the workforce is reported as having a disability.
Sector by sector
Animation
Over 200 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 600 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 900 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.
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 600 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
3,000 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.
In total, 7% of the interactive media workforce is based in Scotland.
Photo imaging
In Scotland the photo imaging sector employs around 2,800 people in 750 companies across four broad sub-sectors: Photographers, Image producers and photo retailers, Picture libraries and agencies, and Manufacturing and support services.
By far the biggest sub sector in Scotland (like the UK) is photographers with over 600 companies, accounting for 85% of all photo imaging establishments- many of whom are sole traders.
Publishing
Scotland has 6% of the UK's publishing workforce with 12,500 people working in the industry.
The majority work in the newspaper industry with nearly 7,000 people employed 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.
Research by Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) Scotland in 2004 identified 195 companies producing magazines and business media, including 55 North and The List.
Radio
1,780 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 2,500 people work in broadcast TV, cable and satellite and independent production.
The total value of TV production activity in Scotland was over £111 million. Of those, £54 million are attributable to commissions from the main UK broadcasting networks. Independent producers supply almost 45% (by value) of these network programmes from Scotland.
Network production in Scotland declined from 6% of the UK total in 2004, to only 3% in 2006, according to the regulator Ofcom.
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.