There is a growing awareness of the importance of the creative economy, not only in its contribution to people’s quality of life but as a distinctive segment of the economy in its own right. Work by Nesta suggests that more than 8% of all UK jobs are to be found in the country’s creative economy.
Following the Hargreaves report in 2011, the Welsh Government identified the Creative Industries as one of the nine economic priority sectors. Official statistics for 2015 show that 84,000 people work in the creative economy in Wales. Of that figure, nearly 53,00 work in the Creative Industries and around 31,000 in creative occupations outside the Creative Industries.
Evidence from various sources, such as Nesta, confirms intuitive impressions of Cardiff as a creative city, with a significant cultural sector that is not only part of the fabric of life in the city, but a cornerstone of its economy.
But we lack more a detailed analysis of Cardiff’s creative activity. There is little current data on the shape, character and breadth of the creative economy in Cardiff. Collecting and analysing this data is important because it allows us not only to chart strengths and weaknesses, but to develop firmly grounded strategies for supporting and developing the sector.
At Creative Cardiff, we have begun the process of mapping Cardiff’s creative economy. We understand, of course, that in a rapidly changing sector no map will ever be comprehensive or complete but we want to provide a more detailed picture of the character and location of a wide range of creative activities in Cardiff.
