A Bold Take on the UK's Creative Immigration Landscape
Migratory Trends in UK's Creative Sectors and Job Fields
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As the smokescreen of the UK's recent Immigration White Paper dissipates, the creative industry grapples with the potential impact of stricter measures. This report stresses the importance of a flexible immigration framework tailored to the creative sector, identified as a priority growth area. From architecture to video games and digital design, this industry thrives on global collaboration, groundbreaking innovation, and a highly educated workforce (with over 75% holding degrees), yet grapples with daunting skills shortages.
This groundbreaking research by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) aims to plug the evidence gap on migration, artistic vocations, and creative sectors by providing detailed insights on industry trends, expansion rates, countries of origin, and geographical distribution across the UK.
Insightful Highlights
- From 2021 to present, temporary visas for creative occupations have witnessed a stunning 70% surge, while for non-creative occupations, the increase was a comparatively meager 13.5%[1][2].
- In the same period, an 8% increase was observed in Worker visas issued for creative roles, whereas for non-creative roles, the growth soared by 233% (106% when excluding Health and Care visas)[1][2].
- The sub-sector of 'IT, Software and Computer Services' flourished by 58.3% in GVA between 2010-2023, mirroring the growth in skilled Asian workers (particularly India) obtaining visas for occupations linked to this sector[1][2].
- A staggering 65% of all creative worker visas were granted in the 'IT, software and computer services' sector[1][2].
- The next most popular creative industries sponsoring visas were 'Actors, entertainers and presenters' (7.5% of all creative worker visas), 'Musicians' (5.5%), 'Marketing associate professionals' (4.6%), 'Arts officers, producers and directors' (3.9%), 'Marketing and sales directors' (3.1%), 'Graphic designers' (2.2%) and 'Artists' (1.6%)[1][2].
- Over half of non-UK creative workers receiving new visas originated from Asia (62.6%), followed by Europe (16.8%), the Americas (9.1%) and Africa (9.1%). India (53%) accounted for more than half of new creative worker visas, with the United States trailing a distant second (5%)[1][2].
- By 2024, 16.2% of the creative industries' workforce was accounted for by non-UK workers, a rise from 11.6% in 2014. This figure was comparable to the 14.4% of non-UK workers employed outside the creative sector, which rose from 9.3% in 2014[1][2].
- A higher likelihood of non-UK residents could be found in the creative sectors as compared to non-creative ones for 'IT, software and computer services', 'advertising and marketing', 'museums, galleries and libraries', 'crafts', 'design and designer fashion' and 'publishing'[1][2].
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Catch the Launch Event
In case you missed the exciting launch event, you can watch a recording featuring report authors Dr Sara Maioli and Dr Daniel Simandjuntak, along with Dr Madeleine Sumption and Marta Foresti.
What are State of the Nations Reports?
The Creative PEC's 'State of the Nations' series provides insights on the latest data across four thematic areas to inform policy developments concerning the creative industries. Covering the entire United Kingdom, data is presented for all nations and regions whenever possible. Semi-annual reports on each theme will be released over the five-year period of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding. The themes and their corresponding research partners are as follows:
- R&D, Innovation and Clusters (University of Sussex)
- Internationalisation (Newcastle University)
- Arts, Culture and Heritage (University of Sheffield)
- Education, Skills and Talents (Work Advance)
This report was written by the Newcastle University team, which includes:
- Dr Sara Maioli, Reader in Economics, Newcastle University Business School
- Dr Daniel Simandjuntak, Research Associate, Newcastle University, and Creative PEC
- Dr Jonathan Jones, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Newcastle Business School
- Professor Giorgio Fazio, Research Director of Creative PEC, and Chair of Macroeconomics at Newcastle University Business School.
Many thanks to the Creative PEC policy, operations, and communications teams for their editing, proofreading, and other support.
Citation: If you utilize any information from this report in subsequent research or publications, please cite as follows: Maioli, S. (2025) Migration in UK Creative Occupations and Industries. Zenodo. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.15475282.
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Credits
Report design by Mike Green/Green Doe Ltd
Contributors
- Dr Sara Maioli, Reader in Economics, Newcastle University Business School
- Dr Daniel Simandjuntak, Research Associate (Newcastle University and Creative PEC)
- Dr Jonathan Jones, Senior Lecturer (Economics), Newcastle University Business School
- Professor Giorgio Fazio, Research Director of Creative PEC and Chair of Macroeconomics at Newcastle University Business School
Explore all PostsSources:*[1] Maybin, J. F., & Lee, L. J. (2024). Creative PEC State of the Nations Report: Migration in UK Creative Occupations and Industries. Zenodo. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.15475282.[2] Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre. (2023). Creative Industry Trends 2023: An Overview. Retrieved from https://www.creativepec.ac.uk/assets/docs/reports/uk_trends_report_lowres.pdf.
- The creative industry, identified as a priority growth area, experiences a high demand for global collaboration and innovation, underpinned by a highly educated workforce with over 75% holding degrees.
- The report stresses the necessity of a flexible immigration framework for the creative sector, given its reliance on an influx of talent from various countries.
- The surge in temporary visas for creative occupations has witnessed a staggering 70% increase from 2021 to the present, while non-creative occupations experienced a comparatively smaller rise of 13.5%.
- The 'IT, Software and Computer Services' sub-sector, thriving on skilled Asian workers, particularly from India, reflected a growth of 58.3% in GVA between 2010-2023.
- The creative industries' workforce accounted for 16.2% by 2024, represented by non-UK workers, with a rise from 11.6% in 2014.
- Over half of new creative worker visas originated from Asia, particularly India (53%), followed closely by Europe and the United States.
- The evolution of policy and legislation in education, skills, and talents is crucial for nurturing the creative sector and addressing skills shortages.
- The 'State of the Nations' series by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre provides valuable insights into the creative industry across various thematic areas, such as internationalisation and education.
- The data presented in the reports is collected for all nations and regions whenever possible, ultimately informing policy developments concerning the creative industries.
- This report on migration in UK creative occupations and industries highlights the importance of policymakers integrating evidence into policy-making to sustain the growth and development of the creative industries, in turn fostering cultural exchange and driving the UK's economy.
