New Report Reveals Troubling Decline in Working-Class Representation in UK Creative Industries
London, [11th February 2025] – The UK’s creative industries have experienced a remarkable growth, contributing £124 billion to the economy in 2024, a 6% increase since 2019. However, despite this growth, representation of working-class individuals in the industry has declined.
Creative Mentor Network (CMN) has released its latest Impact Report today, highlighting a concerning drop in socioeconomic diversity in the UK creative industries. According to data from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), working-class representation across the creative industry has fallen from 26% in 2020 to just 19% in 2023.
In response to this crisis, the charity has been working tirelessly to address the issue through mentoring, industry partnerships, and direct support for young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. In the past year alone, CMN has:
– Supported 317 young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds through mentoring
– Ran 14 mentoring programmes with 50 leading creative businesses
– Facilitated 1,676 professional connections for aspiring creatives
– Helped 129 mentees gain work experience or employment
Katie Thomson-Greene, CEO of CMN, is calling on the industry to take action:
“The UK creative industries are thriving, yet fewer young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are being given the opportunity to succeed. The class ceiling isn’t just unfair, it’s also hindering innovation and creativity. Our data clearly shows that mentoring works, but it will take a collective effort from industry leaders, businesses, and policymakers to bring about real change.”
Through their programmes, CMN has seen young people gain a better understanding of various roles and career paths within the creative industry, as well as an increased confidence in pursuing these opportunities.
A call for systemic change
CMN is urging creative companies to:
�� Invest in initiatives that promote socioeconomic diversity
�� Reevaluate hiring practices to eliminate barriers to entry
�� Support mentoring and training programmes that nurture new talent
The full Creative Mentor Network Impact Report 2024 is available to view at www.creativementornetwork.org/impact.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.