Top Industry Trends

Strategic recruitment and retention of skilled workers: Larger companies with HR infrastructures are committed to formal recruitment programs and have implemented strategic approaches to recruitment, while smaller employers have less formalized approaches. There is very little shortage of talented people to fill roles in cultural occupations. Larger organizations experience specific skills shortages; smaller organizations face a shortage of cultural workers with management skills.

Impact of technological change and global competition on the labour force: Canada's largest cultural employers have varying degrees of vulnerability to global competition. To remain viable, larger cultural enterprises must maintain operations within the international context. The development of global markets opens up avenues for financing and sales in new markets.

Impact of current and future demographic patterns on the labour force: Developments in technology have opened up many opportunities for younger generation to enter the cultural industries. Many organizations across the cultural industries see succession planning – both in ownership transition as well as in succession for vital positions, as significant issues.

Need for upgrading the workforce's understanding of broadband communications tools: Entry-level cultural workers are now expected to have information technology skills over and above what was formerly the threshold. Cultural workers in general are increasingly required to acquire technology skills that enable them to participate in the creation and distribution of content over multiple platforms, implying the need for additional technology training, and making it easier than ever for younger age groups with more technology skills to enter the cultural industries.

Attracting creative professionals to work outside the major urban centers: While some tax incentives are offered to regional enterprises, it often means long commutes and/or dislocations for cultural workers living in the larger urban centers. Communications technologies provide increased opportunities for the independent cultural worker to stay in their particular region.

Retaining knowledge of contract employees: Large and medium sized employers, in the cultural industries, pay little attention to the training of freelancers and the self-employed. Freelancers and contract workers are expected to be highly skilled, having acquired these skills through experience and prior training at educational and professional development seminars and courses.

Need for specialized training in management and management hiring: At the largest employers in the cultural industries, training is very organized and formalized: policies are in place to facilitate training and employee performance is continually monitored and measured. In smaller organizations, with some exceptions, training is still largely "on the job".

Source: Profile of Cultural Workers at Large and Medium-Sized Employers in the Cultural Industries, prepared for the Cultural Human Resource Council by Nordicity Group Ltd, in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers, mediaINTELLIGENCE.ca Inc., 2008