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Prior to the [COVID-19] pandemic, there were growing concerns that the opportunities created in this industry sector were 'out of reach' for many. This paper represents the first phase of the [Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre's] PEC's 'Policy review series on class in the creative industries'. Echoing wider research, we find widespread and persistent class imbalances. Those from privileged backgrounds are more than twice as likely to land a job in a creative occupation. They dominate key creative roles in the sector, shaping what goes on stage, page and screen. They are also more likely to experience greater autonomy and control over their work, to have supervisory responsibility and to progress into managerial positions. We also find that class interacts with other factors - such as gender, ethnicity, disability and skill levels - to create 'double disadvantage'. The intersection of class and skills has a particularly pronounced impact on the likelihood of landing a creative job, where those from a privileged background who are qualified to degree-level or above are 5.5 times as likely to secure a creative role than those of working-class background who are only skilled to [General Certificate of Secondary Education] GCSE-level. Despite growing awareness of the issue and action by business, Government and industry stakeholders to promote greater inclusion, the likelihood of someone from a working-class background finding work in a creative occupation has remained largely unchanged since 2014 - the first point at which we are able to measure class origin using a robust and comparable method.

Our research suggests that the issue does not end with whether or not those from a working-class background can make it into our creative industries, but rather whether they are able to thrive and progress once there. This raises the important question of how we can evolve and enhance the current approach so as to: shift the dial on diversity in a significant and sustained way; build a genuinely open and inclusive creative economy that creates opportunities for all; that maximises talent; and enables all workers to thrive, irrespective of their socio-economic background.

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