Few creatives find freelancing economically viable

Most creative freelancers working in the performing arts have relied on work or income from outside the sector at some point in their careers, findings from a new survey suggest.

The research, carried out by members of the Creative Freelancers: Shaping London’s Recovery cohort, found only 2% of 144 freelancers living in and around the capital were able to attain true economic independence solely through freelancing in creative jobs in the performing arts throughout their career.

Among that 2%, all respondents are currently in senior leadership roles with a single job title. All are heterosexual, cisgender, white British, upper or middle class and married or cohabiting, with two thirds being men over 50.

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“A creative freelancer career [is] not feasible if you have responsibilities/bills to pay and you don't come from privilege,” one survey respondent said. 

88% of all respondents said they are currently relying on other income, most with jobs outside the performing arts sector. Some are supported financially by family members (26%) or a partner (19%).

The survey’s report, published by Freelancers Make Theatre Work, says over 35s are just as likely to be job juggling as those under 35, with older respondents identifying a lack of support, low pay and few opportunities to progress for freelancers.

One respondent said: “Opportunities seem limited despite there being more supportive noises in the sector about supporting women of colour like myself. Frankly this is quite depressing given I have been part of this sector for 20 years.”

“The reality of being a jobbing acting [is] unsustainable. I'm 38 now and I need to earn more if I want to have a family, I don't have much time left,” said another.

The survey’s qualitative findings appear to echo comments from ArtsProfessional’s ArtsPay survey that suggested arts workers are being priced out of London, with freelancers raising concerns over a lack of job security.

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Just 10% of respondents said they felt supported by their employer.

Respondents spoke of struggling to juggle part-time performing arts freelance work with non-performing arts roles.

Nearly half (42%) of respondents working non-creative jobs were doing so for an arts organisation. Of those that were, two thirds were working in public facing roles such as in a box office or bar.

The report says such roles should offer more job-share and flexible contracts, work with unions to agree policies around fair shift allocation and paid and unpaid leave, and offer statutory sick pay. This last point came after 63% of respondents said they had come to work when sick to avoid losing pay.

The report says more supportive employment practices will enable workers from a wider range of backgrounds to pursue freelance careers: “This will be particularly impactful for working class creatives, and those without rich families or partners, who may not have safety nets to fall back on if they can’t consistently cover their essential living costs with their wages,” it reads.

It also says improving access to arts jobs would benefit parents, carers and neurodivergent and disabled workers, while more formalised procedures to protect workers from unfair treatment and bullying would be particularly impactful for those more likely to experience discrimination, namely those from the Global Majority, women, and LGBTQ+ workers.

Outside of the arts, survey respondents were most likely to work in education (35%) or hospitality (35%).

The report recommends unions collaborate to consider the concerns of arts workers working across multiple sectors.

Suggestions include broader sliding-scales for membership fees, in recognition of the reality that most creative careers involve juggling jobs across several specialisms and industries.