While Michigan’s creative sector contributed nearly $5 billion in wages to the state’s economy in 2014, the sector lagged behind all other industries in the state in terms of employment growth from 2011 to 2014, says a report released today by Creative Many Michigan.
“The creative industries are growing but not to the extent of Michigan’s other sectors,” says Jennifer Goulet, president and CEO of Creative Many Michigan, a statewide organization focused on developing the state’s creative economy. “As creatives continue to play an integral role as innovators across all sectors of the economy, our study outlines the possibilities requiring cultivation and forecasts for the future to mobilize and influence an ever-changing, diverse global economy.”
In 2014, the state’s creative industries employed nearly 90,000 individuals in more than 10,700 establishments. Employment in the creative sector grew a mere 1.5 percent from 2011 to 2014, compared with the more than 6 percent growth seen in all other segments in that same time period.
Goulet says the state’s creative industries makes up about 2 percent of total employment in Michigan, and about 2.5 percent of wages. The creative sector includes industries such as advertising; architecture; creative technology; design; fashion garment and textile; film; literary, publishing and print; music; performing arts; and visual arts and craft. The design industry is the state’s largest creative industry.
To grow the state’s creative economy, the report recommends pushing for art education for kindergarten to college students, establishing strategies that re-position Michigan’s film and digital media industries for competitive advantage, and encouraging creative placemaking.
To view the full report, called Creative State Michigan: 2016 Creative Industries Report, click here.
