The report, commissioned by South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE), aims to provide insight and knowledge to develop a further understanding of the creative and cultural industries sector.
The findings will be used to inform any current and future work to support the sector by partners across the region, both as it recovers from covid and meets the challenges and opportunities of the future, including the transition to a Net Zero economy.
The report found that there were over 1500 enterprises operating within the sector across the South, involving over 4600 people, with an annual turnover of £161.5million.
Two-thirds of respondents revealed they work in more than one sub-sector of the creative industries, reflecting the diverse careers that creative practitioners frequently pursue, particularly in rural areas.
More than half of responding businesses reported that their annual turnover is below £50,000, reflecting that the sector is comprised of a large number of small enterprises.
Almost three-quarters of freelance and sole trader respondents earned below £10,000 per year on average from their creative work.
The report highlighted a number of areas where the South of Scotland has a distinct opportunity to grow and support activity within its creative sector. These included growing collaboration across the South, attracting film and TV productions, cultural tourism and events, attracting funding and investment and prioritising Fair Work.
Mark Geddes, SOSE’s creative and cultural capital strategy manager, said: “This report is an important piece of work, which has helped SOSE map out the current position of the creative and cultural industries sector across the South of Scotland.
“It highlights the significance of the sector and provides all partners with up-to-date information which can be used when considering how we best support the industries into the future.”
