In September 2016 the study ‘Kreativwirtschaft Steiermark 2016 (The 2016 Styrian Creative Industries)’, commissioned by Creative Industries Styria, was published. It lists 4,350 companies of the creative sector with a workforce of 15,270 people (amongst them 10,400 employees) generating a turnover of 1.6 billion Euros.
Between the years 2012 and 2014 – the year 2014 forms the basis for this study of KMU Forschung Austria – the Styrian creative community grew in all relevant fields: the companies increased by 2.3 percent and the number of employees by 5.6 percent. There is a nominal sales growth of 8.6 % in comparison to the years 2012/14. The gross value added of Styrian creative professionals has grown the most (+ 16.1 %). This shows that the Styrian creative industries are significantly more dynamic than the ones in the rest of Austria.
Also, if compared to the Styrian economy as a whole, the creative community has developed more dynamically. The field of Software & Games accounts for the largest turnovers (447 million) and the biggest gross value added, which contributes almost 40 % to the added value of the creative industries in Styria. With 3,613 employees it does also show the highest amount of employment. Turnover and employment figures of the other sectors do not correlate though. Thus, the Book and Publishing sector generates a turnover of 298 million Euros with 1,289 employees, while the Performing Arts employ 1,574 people who generate a turnover of 268 million Euros. The major employers turn out to be the sectors of Advertising (1,722 employees; 245 million Euros of turnover) and Architecture (1,201 employees; 170 million Euros of turnover). Comparing the years 2012/14, an extremely positive development can be seen in the field of Books and Publishing, the Film and Music Industry as well as Software and Games, whereas the number of companies and employees has increased the most in the Film business. 55 % of the Styrian creative industries are individual entrepreneurs (EPU). The share of EPU is the highest in the field of Performing Arts (81 %) but there are also a lot of EPUs in the Film Industry (62 %), Advertising (59 %), Design (59 %) and the Music Industry (56 %). About every fifth Styrian creative company is directed by women. Among employees the proportion of women is 46 %. Some sectors – Design, Books and Publishing, and Advertising – have a female share of more than 60 %. The definition of creative industries has been revised and specified in the course of the ‘Seventh Austrian Report on Creative Industries’: Thus, the creative industries are ‘acquisitive companies that deal with the creation, production, (medial) distribution of creative and cultural goods and services’.
The sectors can be divided in 10 fields:
1. Architecture
2. Music Business
3. Book & Publishing sector
4. Radio & TV
5. Design
6. Software & Games
7. Film Industry
8. Advertising
9. Performing Arts
10. Libraries & Museums
