UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has pledged that the UK creative industries will get a 1 million job boost through the Government’s investment blueprint, adding £50bn in value to the sector by 2030.
Outlining the plans at the Deloitte and Enders Media & Telecoms 2023 Conference, Frazer laid down a marker for future growth in the industry, including the likes of live events, film, TV and gaming, although exact details were thin on the ground.
Frazer said the Government would focus on expanding “clusters” of specialist companies in different parts of the UK and on developing skilled workers.
She added: “I have zero doubt that we in Government can do more tangible things to support our creatives. But we cannot simply copy and paste the formula for that past success. We face increasing global competition and we cannot afford to be complacent.”
She said Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has identified her Culture, Media & Sport department as one of five sectors to be prioritised.
More detail will be set out in a Creative Industries Sector Vision published in the next few months. Frazer flagged recent examples such as the thriving TV sector in Birmingham, where Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is opening a studio, and Leeds where Channel 4 has partly relocated to.
Frazer also addressed AI, describing the burgeoning industry as a “challenge and opportunity” adding that “we are looking closely at it as a Government”.
In response to the plans, Deployteq chief executive Sjuul van der Leeuw commented: “The creative industries are at an exciting stage with technological innovation revolutionising areas such as marketing and creative production, so it’s fantastic to see the UK’s commitment to supporting this growth.
“Creating one million jobs to work hand in hand with emerging technologies in the creative industries can turbocharge the sector’s growth, adding significant value for businesses and the wider economy. Recruiting and training highly skilled staff adds a new dimension to businesses’ creative offerings as well as their capacity to develop and implement automation-enabled technologies to boost the efficiency of critical processes and reach new audiences.”
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