The gross value added to the UK economy of the Creative Industries was estimated at £123.03bn (or 5.37% of total UK GVA) between January 2024 and December 2024.

The GVA of the Cultural Sector was estimated at £32.97bn (or 1.44% of total UK GVA) in the same period.

Figures taken from: wearecreative 2025

In the UK there are 1.97 million people working in the design industry, and an additional 2.5 million people using design skills in their roles.

In 2019, the design economy contributed £97.4 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy, almost matching the value of the hospitality and real-estate sectors combined.

Most designers work in non-design sectors, such as finance, computer programming and retail, showing how much design is valued by the wider economy.

Design in the UK is worth just over £276 billion, or 4.47 million jobs.

Figures taken from: Design Council.

The UK games development sector grew 4.8 per cent in the 12 months to May 2024. Figures taken from: TIGA.

IT, software and computer services was the largest creative industries sub-sector in 2022, contributing £49.1bn to the UK economy - 39.6% of the overall Creative Industries sector. Figures taken from: House of Lords report on Creative industries: Growth, jobs and productivity, January 2025.

The East of England is renowned for computer games, with 28 games companies in Cambridge alone. Taken from: Ukie Games Map, April 2025.

In 2019, the digital design group (which includes roles such as games designers and UX designers) contributed £53.9bn in GVA, 55% of the design economy total of that year. Figure taken from: Design Council.

Starting salaries for game artists in the UK are typically between £18,000 and £25,000, with more experienced/senior artists earning between £30,000 and £40,0000, and lead artist salaries ranging from £40,000 to over £60,000. For game developers, the equivalent UK salaries are £19,000 to £25,000; £35,000-£50,000; £55,000-over £75,000. Figures take from Prospects job profiles: Game Artist / Game Developer (Apr 2025).

Multidisciplinary design (including fashion designers) was the second fastest growing design group between 2010 and 2019, experiencing 69% growth. Figure taken from: Design Council.

The global apparel market is projected to grow in value from £1 trillion in 2020 to about £1.6 trillion by 2025, showing that the consumer demand is on the rise across the world. Figure taken from: Statista.

Starting salaries for design assistants in the UK are usually around £16,000 - £18,000, with junior designers earning approximately £25,000 a year, and senior designers / creative directors ranging from around £42,000 to over £85,000. (Figures taken from Prospects job profiles: Fashion Designer (Apr 2025)

Starting salaries for junior graphic designers in the UK are around £18,000 - £23,000, rising to approx. £27,000 with experience and between £25,000 and £38,000 at middle level. Senior graphic designer / creative lead salaries range from £35,000 to £55,000, while creative directors can make over £60,000.

Freelance graphic designers can earn between £200 and £400 a day depending on experience, proven track record and client recommendations.

Figures taken from Prospects job profiles: graphic designer (Apr 2025).

Salaries for junior interior designers in the UK range from £19,000 - £23,000, with experienced (midweight) designers earning between £25,000 and £40,000; and senior designers £50,000 - £75,000.

Figures taken from Prospects job profiles: interior designer (Apr 2025).

Freelance photographer earnings are likely to vary from year to year, being linked to individual feess and available work.

Many entrants to the profession start as assistants, where salaries can be set at the national minimum wage.

In full-time employment, early career salaries are typically between £16,000 and £22,000.

Salaries can increase to anywhere from £25,000 to £65,000, the top earners typically being those with a strong reputation and many years of experience.

Freelance and self-employed photographers often supplement their income with other related activities, such as giving photography lessons.

Figures are intended as a guide only, and taken from Prospects job profiles: photographer (Apr 2025)

The UK is a global centre for screen production, with £4.23 billion in production spend in 2023, of which 78% was from inward investment. Figures taken from: BFI

Film, TV, radio and photography was the third largest sub-sector of the UK's creative industries in 2022, contributing £21.2bn to the UK economy. Figures taken from: House of Lords report on Creative industries: Growth, jobs and productivity, January 2025.

Cambridge is home to Cambridge Film Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors every year, and Watersprite International Film Festival, the UK’s largest student film festival.

The Music, Performing and Visual Arts sub-sector contributed £11.2bn to the UK economy in 2022. Figures taken from: House of Lords report on Creative industries: Growth, jobs and productivity, January 2025.

UK music exports revenue in 2023 hit a new high of £4.6 billion – up 15% from £4 billion in 2022.

Total UK music industry employment in 2023 hit a record 216,000 (full-time equivalent posts) – up 3% from 210,000 in 2022.

Figures taken from: UK Music 2024 report

The Music, Performing and Visual Arts sub-sector contributed £11.2bn to the UK economy in 2022. Figures taken from: House of Lords report on Creative industries: Growth, jobs and productivity, January 2025.

Of the 3019 theatres in the UK, 267 (9%) are located in the East of England, and 599 (17%) in London – just a short journey from Cambridge.

Figure taken from: Sound Diplomacy Economic Assessment of UK Theatre Sector 2023.

Publishing was the fourth largest sub-sector of the UK's creative industries in 2022, contributing £11.6bn to the UK economy. Figures taken from: House of Lords report on Creative industries: Growth, jobs and productivity, January 2025.

The UK’s publishing sector is worth £11 billion to the economy, supports 84,000 jobs and is the global leader in book exports.

Figure taken from: Publishers Association.

The UK government have pledged to “end the VAT exemption and business rates relief for private schools to invest in our state schools.”

The expected £1.5 billion raised from the move will go into recruiting 6,500 teachers (£450 million), increasing teacher and headteacher training (£270 million), work experience and careers advice for all young people (£85 million), early language interventions (£5 million), Ofsted reforms (£45 million), opening more than 3,000 new school nurseries (£35 million) and ensuring mental health support.

Figures taken from: Schoolsweek labour manifesto summary 2024.

Gaining Qualified Teacher Status guarantees a minimum starting salary of £31,650 (or more in London) as a primary or secondary school teacher in England. A typical teacher could earn at least £43,607 (or more in London) after 5 years.

Figures taken from: UK government Get into Teaching.

The average graduate starting salary for English graduates is £18,000-£24,000, which compares well with subjects like Psychology (£18000-23,000), Law (£18,600-£23,000), Business Studies (£20,000-£26,000) and Chemistry (£19,000- 25,600). Figure taken from: The Complete University Guide 2023.

Figures from the Department for Education show that English is the joint fourth subject for annual average wage growth at 6.2%.

English is a key contributor to the creative industries, the fastest growing part of the UK economy. 25% of SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy) graduates work in the creative sector, which is currently worth £84.1bn to the UK. By 2030, it’s expected that there will be 900,000 new jobs in this sector.

Figures taken from: Qualified for the Future, The British Academy.