Creative Industries Skills Audits 2026

Work Advance was commissioned by the Creative Industries Council (CIC) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), working alongside the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC), to deliver a major new sector-wide skills audit of the UK's creative industries. Published in 2026, the Skills Audits were a flagship commitment in the Government's Creative Industries Sector Plan and represent the most comprehensive evidence base yet assembled on the skills needs of one of the UK Government's Industrial Strategy priority sectors.

Our approach combined analysis of official, 'top-down' labour market information with a bespoke employer survey run across eleven creative sub-sectors – from advertising and design to music, screen, video games, architecture and publishing – to produce both an overarching sector-wide summary report and eleven detailed sub-sector reports.

The research found that creative employers are ambitious for growth, with nearly half looking to expand their workforce, but that this ambition is being held back by an outdated skills system: 43% of employers report skills shortages or gaps, with nearly 40% unable to afford staff training, and shortages hitting hardest at the mid-career level. Specific gaps were identified in areas from 3D modelling and UX design to data analysis and cyber security, alongside a widely reported shortfall in "transversal" skills such as finance and people management.

The report set out a series of recommendations for government, employers and educators, including place-based skills assessments, a new "Pact for Skills", investment in Technical Excellence Networks for AI and green design, and targeted support for freelancers. The findings were launched at a sector event and have since informed policy debate on how England's skills system can better serve a fast-growing, digitally-driven industry.