Artists, employment and the Great Recession: A cross-sectional analysis using US Current Population Survey data

Abstract

This paper uses cross-sectional data from the US Current Population Survey to examine employment behavior among artists before and after a major period of economic transitionthe Great Recession. The analysis looks at employment behavior among artists as an occupational group compared to other creative class workers and analyzes trends in periods before, during and after the recession. The results suggest that as a result of the downturn, many artists changed occupations to non-arts-related work or left the workforce altogether; artists became self-employed, and new artists opted for self-employment over wage/salary work; artists were disproportionately adversely impacted -either unemployed or underemployed -than other types of workers. Level of educational attainment was a significant determinant of whether an artist maintained quality employment and stayed in the occupation of his choice; and gender and marital status had a bearing on artists' ability to remain employed as an artist and maintain quality employment. The analysis emphasizes the importance of examining specific occupations within the creative class before drawing broad conclusions pertaining to all occupations with this title. Future work will test the conclusions in this study by using longitudinal data on artists.

Arts majors and the Great Recession: a cross-sectional analysis of educational choices and employment outcomes

“…Employment-related outcomes considered include employment status, earnings, hours worked, and job type. These outcomes mirror the employment outcomes of Woronkowicz ( 2015 ) which focused on the impact of the Great Recession on the employment of artists.…”

“…Using Current Population Survey (CPS) data, Woronkowicz ( 2015 ) explored the labor market experiences of artists during the Great Recession. Artists fell as a share of the creative workforce during and after the recession and increased as a share of workers in education.…”

“…During this time artists were disproportionately unemployed or underemployed relative to other types of workers. Further, many artists switched to non-arts occupations or pursued self-employment (Woronkowicz, 2015 ). One group of workers likely to pursue work in the arts are college graduates with degrees in the arts.…”

Dancing toward the light in the dark: COVID-19 changes and reflections on normal from Australia, Ireland and Mexico

“…In Australia, most artists were initially left to scramble without their income stream or safety net and bereft of the public spaces and gatherings that allow presentation of their craft. Economic downturn places artists in precarious political and financial positions (Woronkowicz, 2015) and even outside of a pandemic, one study suggests that Australian visual and performing artists are not well rewarded for their contribution to culture and economy and, as a group, do not enjoy robust health (Oughton, 2006). These are the results of the systems amplifying inequity amongst the artistic community.…”

Culture is a luxury in Latin America

“…Nevertheless, the emphasis has been more on the adverse effects of recessions on government grants and other such support, rather than on private sector demand. See Alliance for the Arts (2009), Woronkowicz (2015), Mermiri (2011) and Skinner et al (2009).…”