Big Freelancer Survey results: creative freelancers face a fresh crisis and urgent reform is needed

Freelancers Make Theatre Work has today released the results of its Big Freelancer Survey 2022.

The survey of 1,497 freelancers, conducted in February 2022, asked about background, financial situation, work in the entertainment industry over the past 18 months and freelancers’ hopes and fears for the future of the industry.

Its report, ‘Open to all, but not open all hours: Hopes and fears for the future of the UK’s entertainment industries’ lays bare the crippling impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on the UK’s entertainment industry, particularly its freelance workforce, and outlines concerns around the workforce’s capacity to cope with the rising cost of living crisis.

According to respondents, this ‘crisis within a crisis’ is fast becoming a missed opportunity to tackle chronic, structural inequalities across the industry and ensure its fair and sustainable future.

Key survey findings include:

• More than half (55%) of respondents said they felt “quite” or “very” insecure about their jobs in the sector
• This figure increased to 65% for freelancers who identified as having a disability or condition that affected their working lives or were from working-class backgrounds
• A fifth of respondents said they felt ’quite’ or ’very’ unsafe in the workplace
• This figure increased to a third for those who identified as having a disability or condition that affected their working lives, and 31% for those from global-majority backgrounds
• Almost a third (27%) of respondents also said their debt levels had increased since the pandemic
• In the past 12 months, half of all respondents had witnessed at least one form of harassment and/or discrimination
• 35% of people working in the industry doubted whether it was a permanent situation

The report also includes a series of recommendations for the industry to better support freelancers.

Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said:

“Freelancers are the lifeblood of the UK’s entertainment industries and these survey results are a resounding call for the industry to do better by them.

“The pandemic’s impact on creative freelancers was nothing short of devastating, and they continue to suffer from unpredictable and insecure work following post-Brexit EU touring restrictions and now an escalating cost of living crisis. Issues such as low pay, rampant harassment and discrimination, and a talent drain further contribute to a crisis that demands reform.

“We welcome the report’s focus on the role of professional and governing bodies in helping to drive improvements to freelancers’ working conditions and job security. Bectu is committed to driving meaningful change and we urge the industry’s key organisations to come together to ensure a sustainable future for the sector.

“We must not lose this opportunity to use these insights to reset and create a better deal for freelancers. For too long, freelancers have been voicing the same concerns and challenges. It is now paramount that we focus on tangible action so these survey results don’t become forgotten statistics.”

Bectu recently responded to the Chancellor’s mini-budget, calling for help with the cost-of-living crisis for creatives battling soaring bills with low pay and long hours.

Bectu has also written to the newly-appointed Culture Secretary, urging her to use her role to work with us to champion the self-employed and freelance workforce in government, through fighting for a better paid workforce and fairer working conditions.

Find out more about the Big Freelancer Survey here.

Read the ‘Open to all, but not open all hours’ executive summary here or the full report here.