NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman
Michael Eastman Photo
In a research report issued this week, the National Endowment for the Arts suggests that the number of career opportunities for artists will grow, over the next seven years, at essentially the same rate as the American workforce. The NEA bases its findings on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2010-11 Edition.
“From 2008 to 2018,” according to the NEA report, “the U.S. labor force is expected to increase by 10 percent, or 15.3 million people. … The professional-and-related occupations category (of the Occupational Outlook Handbook), which includes artists, is projected to increase by nearly 17 percent, roughly seven percentage points higher than the projected growth rate for the U.S. labor force. At 11 percent, the projected growth rate for artists is similar to the rate projected for overall labor force growth (10 percent).”
The Occupational Outlook Handbook “assumes … that the U.S will have full employment in 2018,” according to the NEA report, which also says, in part: “A surge in demand for multimedia artists, animators, and illustrators — especially those who are computer- and technology-savvy — is projected for 2018,” and, “Actor employment is projected to grow as fast as the U.S. labor force, due to greater demand for satellite TV and cable, as well as major studio and independent films.”
Still, competition in those areas, according to the report (which, again, is based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2010-11 Edition), is expected to be “keen,” which means there could be “fewer … job openings compared with job-seekers.”
Sarah Sullivan, senior research officer at the National Endowment for the Arts, said in an e‑mail, “Growth and competition are not synonymous and (are) specific to each occupation. Some occupations may experience an increase in both growth and competition … while others may be projected to grow but have low competition.”
Read National Endowment for the Arts Research Note #103, Artist Employment Projections through 2018 and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2010-11 Edition.