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Occupations and Trends
• Technological changes, outsourcing and digitization are impacting jobs in the film sector, leading
to a workforce that is increasingly becoming highly skilled and well-educated. The fastest-growing
occupations in the film industry include: independent artists, musicians, graphic designers, producers,
directors, film-makers.
• There are occupations in cultural careers, such as communications, audio and video recording,
film and video, motion picture and broadcasting, which are also experiencing growth.
• Large-scale reproduction and lower skilled technical support jobs, such as photographic film
processors or drafting technicians, are declining.
• Currently, 37% of artists (just over one in three) work in multiple disciplines. This number will
continue to rise, given the complexity and depth of the sector and the range of jobs and
professional opportunities. xii
Workforce Priorities
• Toronto’s creative occupations continue to grow at more than twice the rate of the overall
labour force in financial services, food and beverage, and biotechnology, while the screen-based
entertainment industry continues to struggle due to a combination of foreign competition, the
rising Canadian dollar, and the absence of new financing methods. xiii
• This mostly transient workforce is comprised of self-employment or contractual work. xiv Film and
Television industry experts note that the precarity of the sector and its workforce has been off-set
by Ontario’s regional initiatives in partnership with the City of Toronto. xv The Ontario Production
Services Tax Credit (OPSTC), which is marketed abroad in conjunction with the offer of complimentary
location scouting, has helped to attract both foreign and domestic film producers. xvi These regional
initiatives are similar to the international Film and Production industries in the UK, EU, U.S.A., India,
and in other Canadian provinces. Still, a transient workforce in Film and Production will continue
to exist in Toronto for the foreseeable future. xvii
• There is a huge demand for entrepreneurial skills training and development to help creative
artists to find sources of funding, making sales, marketing, and promotion. xviii
Workforce Opportunities
• Many artists are using social media and online resources for career development. Seventy-seven
point five per cent (77.5%) check job-related websites and forty-one point five per cent (41.5%)
use online learning resources. The use of social media in job development to access jobs and
professional development should be considered in training programs. xix
• Key factors facilitating labour market training are local business or enterprise centres, arts service
organizations and online learning. xx
• Functional skills development and training are mainly offered through local unions and sector
associations which include: NABET 700 CEP, IATSE, ACTRA, Directors Guild of Canada, and Writers
Guild of Canada. Soft skills mentoring is offered predominately through industry bodies/councils
like the Cultural Careers Council Ontario. xxi
Local Labour Market Update 2013 • Toronto’s Opportunities and Priorities
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