Marketing and design sectors note strong growth as UK creative industries post annual £7bn boost
The creative industries are growing at double the rate of the UK economy and marketing is one of the strongest sectors, according to a new government report.
Statistics released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport show that creative businesses contributed £84.1bn to the British economy in 2014, up from £77.1bn the previous year. In total, creative firms were found to account for 5.1 per cent of the economy.
The advertising and marketing sector experienced year-on-year boost of 11 per cent - the fourth best overall.
Topping the chart was the design industry, with product, graphic and fashion design houses noting 16.6 per cent economic growth over the 12 month period. Architecture came a close second with 16.4 per cent, while the Film, TV, video, radio and photography industries secured the third spot in the table thanks to growth of 13.8 per cent.
Jobs opportunities in the creative industry also bloomed by close to nine per cent between 2013 and 2014; a growth rate which is almost twice as much as the overall UK economy's growth, which sits at 4.6 per cent.
Speaking to the Guardian, the Creative Industries Federation, which speaks on behalf of the sector commented on the findings.
“These are impressive figures and we congratulate our members and the wider sector," said chief executive, John Kampfner.
"This success has been built not only on their talent, but on a mix of public and private investment, from Arts Council grants to tax credits. This shows that support and investment for the creative industries is repaid many times over.
“However, there are still areas where the government needs to act to secure continued growth, not least by providing a proper creative education to ensure the workforce of the future," he added.
The figures were also welcomed by Facebook's vice-president, EMEA, Nicola Mendelsohn who chairs the Creative Industries Council. In a Facebeook post, she said she was "thrilled" with the news.
