Cultural workers and artists:
- Workers in this sector are referred to as cultural workers or artists
- The occupational category includes 48 cultural occupations that include 9 arts occupations
- There were 140,000 artists inCanadawho spent more time at their art than any other occupation (0.8% of the overall labour force (135,000 worked in the auto industry);
- There were 609,000 cultural workers inCanada(3.3% of the labour force and more than double those working in banks)
- There were 2,300 cultural workers inSt. Catharines(3.09% of labour force ); 1,230 inNiagara Falls(2.6%); and 490 in Niagara-On-The-Lake (NOTL) (5.7% )
- There were 420 artists inSt. Catharines(.56% of labour force); 365 inNiagara Falls(0.77%) and 220 in NOTL (2.56%)
- Those who spend a high amount on the arts also spend more than average on hotels and travel
- There is a trend of greater attendance at performing arts if you went to other art galleries, festivals and museum; if female; if over 55; and if you have a higher education and higher income.
Source: Performing arts attendance and marketing: A statistical view. Hills strategies, March, 2011
The average earnings of artists in our CMA were $19,000; 37% less than other labour force workers.St. Catharineswas one of the municipalities with the highest earnings gap between artists and other labour force workers (48%), Artists made about one-half of what other labour force workers made. In 2006, the average earnings of artists inOntariowas $26,800; 24% less than the average earnings inOntario($35,200). Niagara creative cultural industries represent 3.8% of the total business establishments in Niagara, compared to 5.0% in Ontario.
Figure 1.1
Source: Business Plan data presented in the Cultural Mapping Summary Report, Niagara Region, 2011
