Overview of the UK's creative arts sector

A cornerstone of the UK economy, the creative industries continue to grow. If you'd like to be a part of this thriving sector, learn more about the variety of jobs on offer and what to expect from careers in the field

What are the creative industries?

Examples of creative industries include:

art
advertising
craft
design
fashion
film
music
photography
publishing
radio and TV
visual and performing arts.

Together they all form what is known as the UKs creative economy.

How much do the creative industries contribute to the UK economy?

According to statistics from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) provisional estimates show that the DCMS sectors contributed £247.6billion in gross added value (GAV) to the economy in 2024, accounting for 9.4% of all UK GVA. The creative industries contributed the most GVA accounting for £145.8billion of the above total.

On average the creative industries grow twice as fast as the UK economy as a whole.

DCMS data also shows that in March 2025 there were 269,655 business in the creative industries, representing almost 10% of UK registered business. The majority of these companies were micro businesses, employing less than ten people.

How many people are employed in creative sectors?

In 2025 the creative industries employed 2.4million people, around 30% of which were self-employed.

While the majority of creative businesses are located in London and the South East, many opportunities are located elsewhere in the UK. Other creative hubs include:

the North West (Manchester)
Yorkshire and the Humber (Leeds)
Scotland (Edinburgh and Glasgow).

Discover how to get a creative job.

What creative industries can I work in?

Employment opportunities can be grouped into:

arts
advertising and marketing
architecture
crafts
design
fashion
film, TV, video, radio and photography
IT, software and computer services
publishing
museums, galleries and libraries
music, performing and visual arts.

Areas of design include:

exhibition
games
graphic
industrial
interior
landscape
product
textiles
theatre.

Working in the sector, you'll have the opportunity to pursue practical roles such as an artist, actor or interior designer, or administrative or managerial jobs such as an arts administrator or museum curator.

There's an increasing overlap with the media and information technology (IT) sectors in relation to the use of digital technology to produce and deliver creative content. This is noticeable in roles such as web designer, animator and game designer.

You'll also find a crossover between this sector and marketing, advertising and PR, with advertising in particular considered a key component of the creative industries.

For examples of job roles in this sector, see creative jobs.

Who are the main graduate employers?

The majority of companies may be small, but the sector also has large well-established organisations that recruit graduates. Examples include:

Advertising - AMV BBDO, Grey UK, Leo Burnett London, McCann.
Cultural heritage - English Heritage, National Trust, National Museum Wales, Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, National Galleries of Scotland.
Design - Jaguar Land Rover, Harrods, AKQA, Big Active.
Fashion - ASOS, Burberry, John Lewis & Partners, Marks & Spencer, Next.
Film/TV - Banijay UK, Ealing Studios, Elstree Studios, Pinewood Studios, Sony Pictures, ITV, BBC, Channel 4.
Music - Opera North, Sony Music UK, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group.
Publishing - Bloomsbury, HarperCollins UK, Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House.
Video games - Codemasters, Creative Assembly, Rockstar North, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Sports Interactive.

For jobs in the creative industries, speculative applications can be particularly useful as many graduate positions aren't formally advertised - although one valuable networking resource you can use is Creativepool.

In a sector where competition for jobs and graduate scheme places is high, self-employment is a viable option, as is freelancing.

You'll therefore need to develop skills and experience through work experience and paid internships to build your body of work, see:

How much can I earn in the creative sector?

This obviously depends on a range of factors such as:

the job you do
level of seniority
employer
location.

Salaries vary widely and you'll need to conduct your own research to find out more about your specific career choice.

However, DCMS statistics put median annual pay in the creative industries in 2024 at £42,399. Unsurprisingly salaries are higher in London and the South East (£48,244 and £44,037 respectively) and lower in the North East and East Midlands (£34,738 and £34,275).

Some of the highest earning sub-sectors in the creative industries, according to the DCMS statistics, include:

IT, software and computer services (£49,500 median annual pay)
Computer games (£48,849)
architecture (£40,300)
film, TV, video, radio and photography (£40,044)
advertising (£39,705)
design and designer fashion (£37,771)
publishing (£37,157).

What's it like working in the sector?

Graduates entering the creative arts and design sector can expect:

the need to demonstrate a practical creative talent or to show a passion for art, design, music or other creative pursuits
to spend time practicing and honing their craft - particularly for actors, dancers and musicians
the need to be independent, proactive and resilient
a higher than average likelihood of being self-employed or freelance, or working on short-term contracts
the majority of work to be project-based and deadline-driven
an unsteady income and a lack of job security when you first start out in the industry
working environments to range from offices and art/design/film/photography studios to theatres, museums and music venues
working hours to vary enormously, from regular office hours to working evenings and weekends, and the flexibility of choosing your hours as a freelancer
to have to keep up to date with industry developments
to travel and work away from home depending on your role, for example touring as an actor or musician, or shooting a TV or movie scene on location as part of the crew.

To find out more about typical salaries and working conditions in your chosen creative career, see our creative arts and design job profiles.

What are the key issues in the creative industries?

In 2024 the Labour government identified the creative industries as one of eight 'growth-driving' sectors and in 2025 published a Creative Industries Sector Plan, which outlines a framework for the growth of the sector up to 2035.

Key issues in the creative industries include:

The regulation of the interaction between artificial intelligence (AI) and intellectual property (IP). This relates to the application of copyright law to the training of AI models. The government has acknowledged that copyright-holders are finding it difficult to control the use of their works in training AI models and to be remunerated for its use.
Creative skills shortages across the UK for example in areas such as design and animation, programming and VFX.
Decline in participation in creative subjects at GCSE, further and higher education level. The number of students taking creative subjects such as music and performing arts has fallen significantly over recent years, partly because of government policy emphasising traditional subjects including maths and science. This could lead to a shortage of creative talent entering this sector in the coming years, potentially stifling its continued growth.
Access to finance and funding. Creative business are four times more likely to face funding obstacles. In January 2026 the government announced a £500million funding package for research, development and innovation in the creative industries.