Job market information
Finding out about the craft industry
The craft industry is part of the creative and cultural industries, represented by the Creative and Cultural Skills Sector Skills Council, which also includes: cultural heritage; design; literature; music; performing arts; and visual arts. The creative and cultural industries currently employ 678,480, people, of which 24% are based in London. There are 74,640 businesses in the creative and cultural industries, of which 87% employ less than 10 people.
The craft industry comprises individual designer makers and small businesses from a diverse range of disciplines spanning the contemporary, traditional and heritage spectrum. Designer‐made traditional and contemporary craft covers a wide range of individual disciplines including:
- basket‐making
- bookbinding
- candle‐making
- ceramics
- fashion accessories
- furniture
- glass
- jewellery
- leather working
- lettering and calligraphy
- metal working
- mosaic
- musical instrument making
- recycled textiles
- stone carving
- taxidermy
- textiles
- toys and automata
- wood turning and sculpture
- heritage and traditional crafts
- paper crafts
Key facts:
- There are 88,250 people working in the craft industry, of which:
- 37% work in graphic crafts
- 15% textiles
- 13% jewellery
- 8% heritage and rural crafts
- 8% potter and ceramics
- 7% stone
- 5% iron and metals
- 5% wood
- 2% glass
- Less than 1% taxidermist
- There are 13,060 businesses, of which 98% employ less than 50 people.
- Craft contributes £2.9 billion to the UK economy.
- 37% of the craft workforce is self‐employed, 21% work part‐time.
- Women in the industry are generally more highly qualified than men (43% have an above level 4 qualification as their highest qualification compared with 27% of men).
- Women are likely to earn less money than men (67% of women in craft earn less than £20,000 per year, compared to 50% of men).
- The industry is made up of a large number of makers operating in the same, small and localised market places.
- 33% of those working in craft have at least a level 4 qualification.
Jobs in the industry include: blacksmith, engraver, gemmologist, glassmaker, hair makeup and wigs, heritage and historical skills, illustrator, joiner and cabinet maker, leatherworker, musical instrument maker, potter, sculptor, stone mason, toymaker, and woodworker.
Entry and progression
Entry routes into the craft industry are diverse. The majority of professionals enter the industry as a second career and a significant proportion describe themselves as self‐taught. There are a range of educational opportunities, together with industry endorsed courses (at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level), apprenticeships and training schemes. Informal learning opportunities, including courses run by makers and by craft guilds, are also available.
The nature of self‐employed work in the craft industry makes specific entry and progression routes hard to identify. It relies more on individual talent and a passion for craft‐making.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
88,250 |
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| Number of UK employers: |
13,060 |
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| Gender: |
65% male |
35% female |
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| Ethnicity: |
94% of the workforce is white |
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| Age: |
50% of the workforce is aged between 30‐40 years |
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[N.B. Data from Creative and Cultural Skills Workforce Survey, 2009.]
Employment trends and future prospects
There is a concern that declining craft education in school and reduced availability of evening and weekend courses will result in fewer people entering the industry.
Skill requirements and shortages
Current skills in the industry are focused on crafts makers: being innovative; using IT and computer aided design (CAD) as part of the production of craft; producing environmentally sound goods; drawing upon diverse backgrounds and experience to influence their work and sales; becoming more involved in representing the industry to government and the public.
Future skills for the industry include:
- Negotiation and Partnership Building – As more makers look to collaborate with other industries there is likely to be an increased demand for training in negotiation and partnerships.
- IT and Digital Technology – New entrants will continue to need training in areas such as e‐commerce, using software packages to build websites and present their work.
- Teaching – Makers may need further training in how to teach their skills to others.
- Leadership – To continue having more focused leadership the industry will need to be able to train the next generation of leaders.
Occupational trends
Across the creative and cultural industries, employment in professional, associated and technical roles will increase by 26% over the next few years, compared with 15% across the UK. 39% of creative and cultural employers state that all occupations will maintain their current importance.
National and regional data
Northern Ireland – There are 11,640 people working in the Northern Ireland creative and cultural sector. Craft in Northern Ireland contributes £39.9 million to the UK economy. 2% of the UK craft workforce is located in Northern Ireland. 99% of the craft workforce is white and 72% of the workforce is male. 30% of the craft workforce in Northern Ireland is self‐employed.
Scotland – There are 45,420 people working in the Scottish creative and cultural sector. 6% of the UK craft workforce is located in Scotland. Craft in Scotland contributes £131 million to the UK economy. 99% of the craft workforce is white and 63% of the workforce is male. 36% of the craft workforce in Scotland is self‐employed.
Wales – There are 24,060 people working in the Welsh creative and cultural sector. 4% of the UK craft workforce is located in Wales. Craft in Wales contributes £73 million to the UK economy. 99% of the workforce is white and 68% of the workforce is male. 36% of the Welsh craft workforce is self‐employed.
[N.B. The data for the following regions are for the creative and cultural sector as a whole.]
East Midlands – There are 44,380 people in the sector workforce in the region, representing 7% of the UK sector workforce. There are 3,950 creative businesses in the region, of which 92% employ less than 50 people. 35% of the workforce is self-employed. 63% of the workforce is male. 95% of the sector workforce is white and 54% are under 40 years.
East of England – There are 63,700 people in the sector workforce in the region, representing 9% of the UK sector workforce. There are 6,710 creative businesses in the region, of which 93% employ less than 50 people. 37% of the workforce is self-employed. 66% of the workforce is male. 95% of the sector workforce is white and 46% are under 40 years.
London – There are 164,690 people in the sector workforce in London, representing 24% of the UK sector workforce. There are 21,600 creative businesses, of which 93% employ less than 50 people. 51% of the workforce is self-employed. 58% of the workforce is male. 84% of the sector workforce is white and 56% are under 40 years.
North East – There are 19,680 people in the sector workforce in the region, representing 3% of the UK sector workforce. There are 1,330 creative businesses in the region, of which 90% employ less than 50 people. 38% of the workforce is self-employed. 63% of the workforce is male. 96% of the sector workforce is white and 53% are under 40 years.
North West – There are 59,580 people in the sector workforce in the region, representing 9% of the UK sector workforce. There are 5,660 creative businesses in the region, of which 91% employ less than 50 people. 34% of the workforce is self-employed; the majority of who are in arts and music. 62% of the workforce is male. 95% of the sector workforce is white and 55% are under 40 years.
South East – There are 98,170 people in the sector workforce in the region, representing 14% of the UK sector workforce. There are 12,300 creative businesses in the region, of which 93% employ less than 50 people. 43% of the workforce is self-employed. 59% of the workforce is male. 97% of the sector workforce is white and 47% are under 40 years.
South West – There are 60,690 people in the sector workforce in the region, representing 9% of the UK sector workforce. There are approximately 5,000 creative businesses in the region, of which 93% employ less than 50 people. 47% of the workforce is self-employed in arts, design and music. 59% of the workforce is male. 98% of the sector workforce is white and 46% are under 40 years.
West Midlands – There are 40,300 people in the sector workforce in the region, representing 6% of the UK sector workforce. There are approximately 5,000 creative businesses in the region, of which 91% employ less than 50 people. 31% of the workforce is self-employed, which is the lowest regional figure. 58% of the workforce is male. 91% of the sector workforce is white and 49% are under 40 years.
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are 45,900 people in the sector workforce in the region, representing 7% of the UK sector workforce. There are fewer than 4,000 creative businesses in the region, of which 90% employ less than 50 people. 40% of the workforce is self-employed. 60% of the workforce is male. 97% of the sector workforce is white and 53% are under 40 years.
Salary levels
Pay scales in this industry are variable, so the following only provides an indication of the wage structure of the current craft workforce:
- 4% earn more than £41,000 per year
- 14% earn between £29,000 ‐ £41,000
- 27% earn between £20,000 ‐ £29,000
- 38% earn between £10,000 ‐ £20,000
- 17% earn less than £10,000 per year
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using Creative and Cultural Skills AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
