In a major new report published today, a Creative Australia survey reveals that economic conditions for artists are at odds with the value Australians place on the arts.

Led by David Throsby and Katya Petetskaya, Artists as Workers: An Economic Study of Professional Artists in Australia, shows it is now harder than ever for professional artists to make a living, despite the fact they are highly educated, highly skilled and that their contribution to the wellbeing of our society and economy is recognised and valued.

The survey was in the field late 2022 and early 2023 and examines activity in the 2021-22 financial year.

Photo © Pietro Jeng/Pexels

“Despite the fact Australians value the contributions of artists, the challenges artists face in earning a living have never been greater,” said Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette.

“This extensive economic study provides valuable insights into the current and future challenges for artists, while reinforcing the principles underlying the development of the National Cultural Policy Revive – that arts work is indeed real work. The report Artists as Workers reminds us what is at stake, underscoring the urgent need for support systems and fair remuneration that truly reflects the substantial value artists contribute to our society and economy.”

Professor David Throsby said: “Over the years, we have studied the nature of artists’ work – and have seen already precarious employment conditions further impacted by significant disruption and change, from COVID-19 to more recent advances in digital and AI technology. My hope is this report will serve as a clarion call for informed discussion to promote measures that support the sustainability of artists’ careers into the future.”

Among key insights emerging from the report are that the number of professional artists working in Australia is down from an estimated 48,300 in the last survey period (2014–15) and that women now outnumber men roughly two to one across almost all artistic occupations.

The number of artists with disability has doubled since 2016 and the number of artists who are multilingual and based in regional areas is also increasing.

Barriers and disparities remain, however. For example, on average, women artists continue to earn 19 percent less than their male counterparts – a gap greater than the general workforce’s pay gap of 12 percent in 2023.

Moreover, the artists’ average total income (from all sources) is $54,500, 26 percent below the workforce average.

Photo © MART Productions/Pexels

Working in the arts has also become more precarious with the majority of artists (78 percent) working on a self-employed or freelance basis in their creative work. At the same time, non-artistic work taken on to plug the gaps in artists’ income has become more precarious.

Artists are also facing a raft of technological changes and innovations. Most artists are, however, hopeful. Of those surveyed, 65 percent stated a belief that future technological changes will open new creative and income-earning opportunities.

On the negative side of the ledger, artists are facing enormous challenges with regard to the control of their copyright in an era of wholesale scraping of content for AI learning models.

This survey echoes the sentiment of a Media and Arts Alliance report released in early April, which found that only one in five musicians are able to make a full-time living from music-making, down from one in four.

Download the full report or explore the findings on the Creative Australia website.