Back on Track

the past 15 years, the creative sector has established itself as a key driver for the economy as a whole. Around 9 % of Styrian companies belong to the creative sector, producing a whole range of positive crossover effects and changes, and spreading their creative and transformative power in the economy, in the innovation system, in regional development, in public administration and in society.

Currently, Styria is home to 5,200 creative companies – this corresponds to 9 % of all Styrian companies. These creative enterprises employ 18,100 people, which corresponds to 4 % of all employees in Styria. The turnover of the companies is 2 billion Euros, which is 2 % of the total turnover of all Styrian companies. The gross value added at factor costs amounts to almost 1 billion Euros, which corresponds to 4 % of the total value added in Styria.

In 2019, the Styrian creative economy reached its preliminary peak in sales, which then slowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study numerically maps the effects of the pandemic on the Styrian creative sector. While the previous years were characterized by strong growth, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a negative development of the Styrian creative economy. This was most noticeable in sales: in 2020, they were almost 10 % below the 2019 level. The number of people employed in the creative sector fell by more than 2 % and the number of creative companies by 0.4 %. This is in stark contrast, however, to an increase in gross value added: After declining in the period of 2018 to 2019, gross value added increased by around 1 % in the crisis year 2020. This increase can primarily be attributed to the creative sectors of architecture and information and communication technology.

After the decline caused by the pandemic, the situation for creative companies improved once again in the years that followed.

creative companies led by women

24 %

Data from the Dachverband der österreichischen Sozialversicherungsträger (the association of Austrian social insurance carriers) shows that in 2021, the number of people working in Styrian creative sector rose by around 5 %. The main reason for this is once again increases recorded in the areas of architecture and information and communication technology. This positive development on the labor market continued in the first half of 2022, with an increase of around 6 % compared to the fir st half of 2021. The number of workers employed at companies also increased in almost all areas. A long-term comparison shows a double-digit increase in the Styrian creative economy for the period from 2010 to 2020. The number of companies grew by around 22 % and that of workers by almost 33 %. Sales in 2020 are around 50 % and gross value added around 61 % above the 2010 level. The development of gross value added already peaked in 2018 and has shown only minor nominal changes ever since. creative companies active in Styria

(2018:

5,200 people working in creative companies

The aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic have also affected the individual subsectors to varying degrees. In general, however, the creative economy has proven to be extremely resilient. This can be explained by the fact that the typical relatively small-sized companies at work here can react to changing conditions quickly and flexibly.

In addition, creative companies tend to have above-average digital skills, which were in high demand throughout the pandemic years and continue to be important today.

18,100

However, this also reveals a phenomenon in the creative economy that so far has mostly been associated with other sectors – a severe shortage of skilled workers. It affects companies of all sizes and subject areas, from administrative work and project management to sales and distribution. When it comes to the core competencies of many creative companies, the situation is particularly precarious, as shortages of skilled workers are not only common in interaction design, software development, coding or programming , but also in social media, editorial and content management and artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications. In view of the incredibly disruptive changes that are currently facing the economy and society – artificial intelligence, but also a general change in working environments and life concepts, especially among Generation Z –the topics of training and further education as well as the positioning of creative companies as innovative and attractive employers will require much focus in the strategic orientation.