'These findings must be a wake up call for the creative industries - Tracy Brabin on Policy Evidence Centre's new research

"These findings must be a wake up call for the creative industries. Our creative sector must reflect the society in which we live, not the preserve of those with privilege and the right connections.

"Analysis by my office has shown that of the over 7,100 job losses in the creative sector because of Covid, these are in roles that are disproportionately held by working class and minority groups. The Government must act quickly to ensure that a generation of working class talent is not pushed out of the industry all together.

"If “building back better” is to mean anything post Covid, it must be that the organisations that make up the cultural life of the country have better representation of marginalised groups, else the nation will be poorer as a result."

Notes to editors:

• Research out today shows that 16% of those working in the creative occupations are from working-class social origins - https://www.pec.ac.uk/blog/rebuilding-a-more-inclusive-creative-economy