CCA BULLETIN / BULLETIN DE LA CCA

 

SPOTLIGHT ON NEW CULTURAL LABOUR FORCE DATA

                                                                                                                                                

Ottawa, January 16, 2004 - This week saw the release of new data from Statistics Canada on the cultural sector labour force.  (The data was released through The Daily, and also as the lead article in the latest Focus on Culture, Vol.14, No.3.  It is available through the StatsCan website at www.statcan.ca.) 

 

The data covers the period 1991-2002; highlights and CCA analysis follow:

 

·          Growth in the cultural sector labour force grew by 31% over the period, considerably more than the workforce as a whole (20%).  However, most of the growth occurred in the 1990s, with very little during the period 2000 to 2002.

·          Total employment in the sector stands at nearly 578,000.  This figure increases to an estimated 740,000 when manufacturing, wholesale and retail jobs are included.

·          The direct impact of the cultural sector as a contribution to GDP was $26 billion in 2001. 1 

·          Income for Canada’s creative and performing artists remains abysmally low, with the average self-employed cultural worker earning $18,000.  “For every successful creative and performing artist there are many with earnings below those of the average Canadian worker.”2

 

CCA: The sector’s economic impact has grown from $16 billion in 1993 to $26 billion in 2001.  Growth in the cultural labour force has outstripped growth in the general labour force, education levels are higher and unemployment rates lower - but artists themselves remain amongst the lowest paid and least valued members of our society.   

 

·          Government support increased by 6% in 2001 and 7% in 2002.  In 2000-01, federal and provincial government funding of cultural activities and institutions in the form of grants and contributions reached almost $1.9 billion, a 30% increase over 1995.

 

CCA: Federal funding for culture declined for eight consecutive years before showing the reported increases. In 2001-02, federal government spending for the Department of Canadian Heritage represented 1.8% of the total federal budget; this is the same percentage as 1996-97, but a drop from 2.1% in 1994-95 (see Table I).  [NB: Remember - not all of this funding went to culture; Canadian Heritage also encompassed Parks Canada, sports, and official languages.]  Arts organizations are having to rely more on earned income than on operating or capital grants from government.  All areas of the cultural sector desperately need adequate, stable, multi-year funding in order to survive and thrive.  It is extremely difficult to plan, produce and remain fiscally responsible when one has little idea from one year to the next what funding will be available.

                             

·          Sales of cultural exports grew by 38% between 1996 and 2000 (reaching $4.5 billion); however, this growth had tapered off in the first years of the millennium.  Cultural imports also increased considerably, reaching $7.5 billion in 2000, up 23% from 1996.

 

CCA: The federal government has introduced a number of new initiatives to increase Canada’s cultural exports (eg: the recent cultural trade fair held in Paris, export marketing workshops provided through Cultural Human Resources Council).  However, CCA is concerned about the rise in cultural imports noted in the StatsCan report which, when linked to the decline in domestic demand for Canadian-produced arts and cultural products (see below), does not bode well for the health of the cultural labour force as a whole.  The Paul Martin government is currently considering lifting the foreign ownership regulations in Canada’s broadcast media and telecommunications industries.  Given this scenario, Canadians could find themselves with less access to Canadian cultural products which would be irreversibly damaging for the entire sector.

 

·          Domestic consumer participation in cultural events and activities declined between 1992 and 1998, but expenditure on cultural equipment3 grew by 30% over the period 1992-2000.

·          Cultural professions showing marked increases during this period (11%-17% annual change) are dancers, actors, artisans/craftspeople. 

 

CCA: Increased expenditure on cultural equipment indicates a trend towards “cocooning” by the public, rather than attending live performances.  StatsCan analysis states that “while consumers are spending more on culture activities than they did ten years ago at an aggregate level, in many cases this may be due to higher prices rather than increased demand.  With public consumption of culture declining, and arts companies forced to rely more on earned revenue, where is the audience that is going to pay the higher prices?  How will the increased numbers of artists make a living? 

 

This data leaves some important questions unanswered.  Federal funding for culture received a significant shot in the arm in 2001 with the Tomorrow Starts Today funding.  Why was there employment growth in the cultural sector in the 1990s when government grants and contributions were down?  Why did this growth flatline between 2000 and 2002 when, in fact, there was a significant influx of new funding?  One possibility is that the funding which was announced in May 2001 was slow to come on stream, and might only show up as a major factor in the next data release.

 

 

Table I: Share of Total Federal Budget to Canadian Heritage

 

1994-95

1996-97

2000-01

2001-02

$2.9 billion

-

$3 billion

$3.2 billion

2.1%

1.8%

1.7%

1.8%

 

 

Table II

1993

(Cultural Labour Force Survey)

2001

Direct economic impact

16 billion

26 billion

% of GDP

2.7%

2.75%

 

 

Table III

Cultural Labour Force Survey (1993 snapshot)

Culture Sector Labour Force data (1991-2002)

Numbers working in the sector

670,000

740,000

% self-employed in sector

29%

25%

% self-employed among arts workers/culture occupations

54%

58%

Mean earnings for culture occupations

$21,800

$28,291

 

Caution: direct comparisons between the 1993 Cultural Labour Force Survey data and the 1991-2002 Culture Sector Labour Force data are inadvisable as the definition of “culture” itself (ie: which jobs/occupations are in, which are out) has changed during the period in question.  These tables have been compiled to provide a snapshot based on available data.

 

Table IV

Cultural sector

Total labour force

Unemployment rates

7.9% (1991)

6.4% (2002)

10.3% (1991)

7.7% (2002)

% self-employment

25%

15%

Average income

$28,000

(culture workers, 1999)

$30,000

(1999)

Average paid employment

(as an employee)

$35,000

(culture occupations, 1999)

$31,000

(1999)

Average income for self-employed workers

$18,000

$28,000

% workers with post-secondary degree/diploma

83%

(1999)

62%

(1999)

Job growth

31%

20%

 

Notes

1-This is an estimate only; StatsCan has a contract with the Department of Canadian Heritage to finalize the figures up to 2002.  StatsCan cautions that comparison with other sectors and/or departments is unadvisable, and figures were unavailable.

2- Focus on Culture, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no.87-004-XPB, Vol.14, No.3

3- Defined as home entertainment equipment, musical instruments, artistic supplies, photographic equipment, etc.

 

For more information:

Kevin Desjardins

Communications and Public Relations Manager

(613) 238 3561 ext.11

Fax (613) 238 4849

info@ccarts.ca

www.ccarts.ca

 

04/04

 

Please post and/or distribute. When reprinting CCA Bulletins, please give appropriate credit.

 

 


 

            1This is an estimate only; StatsCan has a contract with the Department of Canadian Heritage to finalize the figures up to 2002.  StatsCan cautions that comparison with other sectors and/or departments is unadvisable, and figures were unavailable.  

            2Focus on Culture, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no.87-004-XPB, Vol.14, No.3

            3Defined as home entertainment equipment, musical instruments, artistic supplies, photographic equipment, etc.