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SUSTAINABLE CORK PROGRAMME
Culture, Arts, Community & Media The Cork region has a rich and diverse cultural offering that is an important part of its past, present and future. The proportion of employment in arts, entertainment and tourism jobs in Cork stood at 10% in 201912. In Cork and nationally, the Arts sector is a jobintensive sector intertwined with other activity such as in aviation, hotels, B&Bs, pubs and restaurants, festivals, museums, exhibitions, and conferences. With a focus on SMEs, the Arts sector provides a unique and locally embedded complement to Ireland’s more widely publicised sectors with multilateral benefit. The Arts is recognised as not only vital for the economy, but its development is at the heart of the Project Ireland 2040 aspirations to build a more sustainable and resilient economic model.
The role and value of the community and voluntary sector is crucial to the social and economic fabric of Cork. Across the county thousands of community and voluntary organisations work together with State bodies, schools, postal service and frontline services to bring supports to those in need, while helping to inform policy on protecting the most vulnerable at national level. There are an estimated 189,000 employees in registered charitable organisations in Ireland. Over half of all registered charities have between one and 20 volunteers, with three per cent having 250 or more. It is estimated that the value of this volunteering work, using the minimum wage, is â‚Ź648.8 million per year (this increases to â‚Ź1.5 billion when using the average income.)13
Impact of Covid-19 The Arts and Entertainment sector was one of the first and most severely hit, along with the tourism sector. The Arts, Entertainment and Other Services sees around 57% (down from 60% prior to Phase 1) of those previously working in this sector estimated to be on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) or Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS).
