BrightonFuse: Freelancers in the Creative Digital Economy
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
1 like•560 views
The document summarizes research from a study called Brighton Fuse on freelancers in the creative digital economy. Some key findings include: - Freelancers averaged £33k annual income (median £27k) and £58k normalized full-time equivalent (median £42k) - They experienced an average annual growth rate of 7.3% (median 2.8%) - Top skills acquisition methods were learning on the job, self-learning, and higher education degrees - Freelancers were motivated by realizing their aspirations and preferred freelancing over employment - Challenges included issues with money, freelancing barriers, and skills The study recommends policy changes like equal rights to employees, better
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (15)
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (7)
Similar to BrightonFuse: Freelancers in the Creative Digital Economy
Similar to BrightonFuse: Freelancers in the Creative Digital Economy (20)
More from wired_sussex
More from wired_sussex (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
BrightonFuse: Freelancers in the Creative Digital Economy
- 2. Phil Jones, Wired Sussex @philjoneswired
- 5. Freelancers in the Creative Digital IT Economy
- 6. Freelancers in the Creative Digital IT Economy Dr Jonathan Sapsed Principal Investigator for Brighton Fuse University of Brighton
- 7. Presentation • Research methods • Data overview and economic performance • Skills and fusion • Freelancers life • Place of work and networking • Conclusions and policy recommendations
- 9. Methods and data • For business performance, working patterns and activities and measuring wellbeing: – Quantitative survey, 304 sample (25.8% response rate) – Built bottom-up from membership groups: – Wired Sussex, The Skiff, The Farm, BIG • For motivations, lifestyles and stories: – Qualitative research, 32 interviews, 2 focus groups – Analysed using NVivo 10 software
- 10. Data Overview and Economic Performance
- 11. Data overview
- 13. Economic performance • Average income: £33k (median £27k) • Average income normalised Full-Time-Equivalent (FTE): £58k (median £42k) • Average growth rate: 7.3% (median 2.8%) • “I wasn’t really thinking of myself as a freelancer even though that’s what I was doing- I thought of myself as a company founder.” • (From interview)
- 18. Jacks and Jills of all trades?
- 20. Skills acquisition • Top three channels: – Learning on the job – Self-learning – Higher education degree “The world is full of blogs and people telling you exactly how to solve all sorts of weird, obscure problems that you’ve never come across before…you can do huge amounts of self-learning, and you don’t need formal training processes.” (From interview)
- 22. Freelancers’ Life: Motivations, wellbeing and challenges
- 24. Wellbeing
- 25. Plans for the future
- 27. Place of Work and Networking
- 30. Networking
- 31. Conclusions and policy recommendations
- 32. Conclusions • CDIT freelancers are on average prosperous, enjoying income growth and good levels of wellbeing • They are more than superfused than firms, but with limited growth • They largely prefer freelancing, to realise their aspirations and plan to expand • They do experience barriers: – Money – Freelancing – Skills
- 33. Policy recommendations • Equal rights with employees – E.g. maternity/ paternity leave • Access to finance – Freelancer-friendly banking and advice • Awareness and value “You do feel like you’re justifying your fees all the time to people..” (From interview) – Guidelines to setting rates and business models – Public information campaign – Awareness of existing policies
- 34. Statement from the Minister • “Our digital economy is already one of the strongest markets in the world and the UK creative industries generate £71 billion in revenue each year and support 1.71 million jobs. • This study shows that the self-employed play a key role in driving the culture of innovation in the creative and digital industries and are a vital part of Britain’s economic growth.” • Ed Vaizey, Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy
- 35. Panel discussion • Chaired by Phil Jones, Wired Sussex • Dr Jonathan Sapsed, Principal Investigator for Brighton Fuse, University of Brighton • Dr Megha Rajguru, Researcher for Brighton Fuse, University of Brighton • Dr Roberto Camerani, Co-Investigator for Brighton Fuse, University of Sussex • Dr Monica Massuci, Researcher for Brighton Fuse, University of Sussex • Jon Norris, freelancer and Crunch #BrightonFuse