Intro
WA creative economy can be understood through analysis of the creative workforce.
A total of 51,051 people were employed in the WA creative workforce in 2021, 3.9% of the total WA workforce.
Latest WA creative employment growth (2016-2021) shows a turning point in the growth trend of the WA creative workforce.
From 2016 to 2021, the WA creative workforce annual average growth was well above the overall WA workforce, indicating a stronger growth path.
In earlier periods (2006-2011 and 2011-2016) the WA creative workforce tended to grow at a similar rate to the overall WA workforce.
Creative median annual incomes in WA are higher than those in the rest of WA workforce.
In 2021, the median income for a creative worker was $76,600, more than 17% higher than the median income for the WA workforce overall.
Of those creative workers, embedded creatives working in other industries earned a median income of $79,900, creatives working in creative industries earned $66,200, and support workers within the creative industries earned $81,000.
The creative industries are those areas of practice that turn original individual creativity into social and commercial outcomes. They draw on Western Australia’s unique identity to produce new artistic, cultural, and aesthetic-functional products and services for local, national, and international markets.
WA creative industries consist of creative services and cultural production industries.
Creative services industries:
Cultural production industries: