Employment in the Irish culture sector rose by 14% after years of decline

Across the entire EU, there are 7.7 million people employed in the culture sector, representing 3.8% of all employment, new data shows

During 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, Irish employment in the cultural sector decreased by 3% and 1% respectively. 

Ireland saw one of the largest increases in people employed in the culture sector across the EU in 2022 after suffering a loss of jobs in this area over the last few years, new data from Eurostat shows.

Employment in culture includes performers working for a production company, journalists working for newspapers as well as non-cultural jobs in the culture sector, including occupations like an accountant working for a publishing house. 

It also includes culture-related jobs outside the culture sector such as designers working in different industries.

According to the data, the number of people employed in Ireland in the culture sector rose by 14% last year. Across the EU, this rate of increase was only behind Cyprus, which saw a 21.5% increase, and Luxembourg, which saw a 14.5% increase.

Rounding out the top five was Sweden, with an 11.9% increase, and The Netherlands with a 10.5% increase.

Significant turnaround

Ireland’s increase in employment in this area is a significant turnaround, as the sector saw a decrease in jobs of 3% in 2019/2020 and by 1% in 2020/2021.

Across the entire EU, there are 7.7 million people employed in the culture sector, representing 3.8% of all employment. Of the 27 EU member states, 19 saw an increase in employment in the sector, while eight saw decreases.

The most significant decrease was seen in Bulgaria at 7.7%, followed by Czechia at 7.3%.

Since 2013, the number of women in cultural employment has been increasing across the European Union, except in 2020. In 2022, the cultural sector recorded the smallest-ever gender employment gap, with 3.93 million men and 3.80 million women — 50.8% and 49.2% — employed in the sector.

In Ireland, there are 45,200 men working in the sector versus 38,100 women — an 8.5% difference. This is tied with Italy for the third largest gender difference in favour of men in the EU behind Malta, with a 21.6% difference, and Spain with a 9.5% difference.

However, 14 EU countries have more women working in the sector than men, with Latvia seeing 26.3% more women employed compared to men — the biggest gap in the EU.