Thursday, February 23, 2006

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[IWS] NY City 2006 Report: CREATIVE WORKERS COUNT [23 February 2006]

IWS Documented News Service
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Institute for Workplace Studies Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 Director, IWS News Bureau
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Freelancers Union

2006 Report: CREATIVE WORKERS COUNT
New York City's Arts Funding Overlooks Individual Artists Needs
By Sara Horowitz, Stephanie Buchanan, Monica Alexandris, Rachel Crocker Ford, Stefanie Syman
http://www.workingtoday.org/stf/pdf/arts_report_2006.pdf
[full-text, 12 pages]

Press Release
Creative Workers Count [23 February 2006]
http://www.workingtoday.org/stf/arts_report_2006.php

In its 2005 study of New York's independent creative workers - among them artists, composers, illustrators, photographers and writers - Freelancers Union found that despite their high levels of education and civic participation, creative workers are struggling with financial instability generated by an outdated social safety net, erratic employment, and low incomes.

Though New York dedicates more funding to the arts than any other city in the country, little attention is paid to the needs of individual artists. To protect the preeminence of its creative sector, New York must begin to view arts and culture from a labor perspective.

"Creative Workers Count" examines the challenges New York's creative workers face and makes policy recommendations calling for a new social safety net that would allow creative workers to achieve stability here.

Key Findings Include:
* Creative workers contribute significantly to the city's economy. McKinsey and Co. estimates that arts organizations generated $14.5 billion for the city in 2000, and the Center for an Urban Future traced over 150,000 jobs to the creative economy in 2001.
* Creative workers fall out of the social safety net. Over a third (39%) experienced a significant gap in health insurance coverage in the last year and nearly two-thirds (58%) save nothing for retirement each month.
* Creative workers face economic instability. Over 40% made less than $35,000 last year, and half (51%) have little or no personal savings.
* Creative workers are highly educated and politically engaged. 85% have at least a college degree and 92% are registered to vote.

[Thanks to Donna Schulman, Director Lenz Library, ILR Extension in NYC for the tip].


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This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

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Stuart Basefsky *
Director, IWS News Bureau *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor *
New York, NY 10016 *
*
Telephone: (607) 255-2703 *
Fax: (607) 255-9641 *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu *
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