The relationship between creative employment and local economies outside capital cities

Abstract

Is the creative economy only an urban phenomenon? Creative employment data and Gross Regional Productivity (GRP) were analysed for 487 local government areas (LGAs) in Australia. Total creative employment correlates strongly with GRP for all categories of creative occupation. Creative intensity – that is, the number of creatives relative to total employment – increases with size of GRP, except in the visual arts. However, there are differences in regions varying according to population, GRP and remoteness. The creative intensity of digital and marketing occupations correlates with GRP across all regions, excluding very remote areas. Creative intensity of media, art and architecture occupations has a more diverse relationship with GRP across Australia. These empirical results are exemplified via qualitative case studies of three diverse LGAs. In the future, there may be surprising niche opportunities for non-urban creative work, but in general, growing LGAs are more prospective.

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