Businesses, Employment and Turnover

11.15 Data in the following section are taken from a bespoke analysis undertaken by ONS using the Inter-departmental Business Register (IDBR) for Culture South West, (ONS 2006). In 2005 there were 25,520 business entities in the DET-defined cultural sector, employing 176,005 people and with a turnover of £10.9 billion.

Table 11.1 Total Number of Businesses, Employment and Turnover by Cultural Domains in the South West and England, 1998-2005
Sub-sector

IDBR (1998)

IDBR (2005)
 

South West

England

South West

England
Visual Arts







Count

5,460

52,735

6,540

58,010
Employees

13,120

141,295

19,565

187,090
Turnover

1,080,470

12,810,930

1,673,675

18,795,530
Performance







Count

630

8,465

670

8,955
Employees

1,920

31,555

2,695

37,950
Turnover

114,800

2,581,720

166,165

3,665,330
Audio-Visual







Count

7,825

93,545

7,350

87,830
Employees

40,000

601,860

39,385

719,080
Turnover

3,017,790

82,481,465

3,348,915

118,664,720
Books and Press







Count

3,680

36,620

3,285

31,105
Employees

24,365

374,170

22,290

382,370
Turnover

1,823,790

34,278,315

1,940,345

38,002,285
Heritage







Count

125

785

140

910
Employees

9,740

25,730

11,370

37,895
Turnover

171,090

592,080

215,325

1,117,665
Sport







Count

1,920

15,905

2,290

17,855
Employees

17,200

173,530

28,260

325,690
Turnover

525,620

7,836,440

1,201,910

17,003,945
Tourism







Count

5,125

35,115

5,245

37,450
Employees

48,315

584,520

52,440

750,565
Turnover

1,758,580

41,937,550

2,438,515

75,077,175
Total







Count

24,760

243,170

25,520

242,115
Employees

154,665

1,932,665

176,005

2,402,690
Turnover

8,492,145

182,518,495

10,984,850

272,326,650
Source: Office for National Statistics (2006) Statistical Count of Cultural Sector 1998-2005 Using Inter-Departmental Business Register Culture South West, Exeter

    11.16 The employment count represents the number of people working in cultural and creative businesses in the South West as identified in the DET. These figures will therefore include the employment of people in non-cultural occupations such as administration and finance. They do not include non-VAT registered businesses and many other statistically ‘invisible' workers in self-employed, freelance and intermittent worker categories.

    11.17 The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates of the number of South West residents who work in cultural occupations. In 2005, the LFS found that 10% of those working in one of 48 occupations classified as ‘cultural’ by the DET in England were located in the South West. Of the 179,564 employed in the cultural occupations, around 60,000 were self-employed, an important component of the cultural workforce.