Leading UK diversity and inclusion social enterprise, Creative Access has revealed new research looking at freelancers in the creative industries. 

Self-employed talent currently represents a third of workers in the creative economy. and the report highlights poor standards from employers.  

When asked ‘do employers support freelancers and include them in their teams organisations?’ half of TV and film respondents (52%) said no. Half (50%) were offered a day rate or salary they felt was below their level.

And whilst 31% of TV and film freelancers deliberately chose to pursue a freelance career, 19% became freelance following a negative experience in a permanent role.  

The research from the inclusion not-for-profit is part of a wider report looking at freelancers across various other sectors in the creative industries including publishing, PR and communications, theatre and performing arts and more.  

Unsurprisingly, 1 in 2 freelancers across all sectors said late payment from employers was an issue. Meanwhile, 1 in 3 disabled respondents said they went freelance due to a negative experience in a permanent role, this was higher than the average 1 in 5. This sadly raises a bigger issue of disabled freelancers being 30% more likely to have suffered bad workplace experiences as staffers, this ‘otherised’ treatment seems to continue into self-employed life.   

Despite the challenges freelancers face, respondents were pleased overall with their career path, pointing to several positive aspects about being self-employed, suggesting their job gives them satisfaction, namely around:   

• remote work (62%)  

• project diversity (61%)  

• independence (61%)  

• it being beneficial to their health & wellbeing (42%)   

• and freedom to select clients (32%)  

Respondents said employer training on how to best support freelancers is one of the best ways to resolve the disconnect between freelancers and employers, with 75% of TV and film freelancers stating that they would value training on navigating a freelance career the most.

They also pointed towards several key action points employers and the creative industry at large could take to help them thrive:  

1. Make it clear as an employer you will make reasonable adjustments for disabled

freelancers (91%)

2. Offer professional training (78%)

3. Provide access to a mentor with a similar lived experience (63%)  

4. Provide access to networking events to build their client and peer contact base (67%)   

5. Training for employers on how to best support freelancers (48%)  

You can read the report in full here:

Freedom or working for free? Freelancers in the creative economy.