Tax and benefit changes could transform lives of UK’s struggling TV freelancers, research

Innovative tax and benefits policies could dramatically improve financial security for TV freelancers in the UK and reverse a mass exodus of talent from the sector, research from the University of Glasgow shows.

The study, entitled Make Freelancing Pay (MFP), shows how governments could use targeted tax and aid reforms to improve disposable household income for hard-up screen freelancers who are struggling to make ends meet during a severe contraction in the industry.

The research, by Professor Doris Ruth Eikhof of the University of Glasgow and Dr Hannah Randolph at the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute, examined policies in six other countries and indicates how similar schemes could transform the financial stability of UK freelancers.

Among the key findings are how a policy akin to Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme – which gives a payment of €325 (US$350) a week to artists and creative arts workers – could increase UK freelancers’ disposable income by 50% or more.

The BIA scheme was introduced in Ireland in 2022 and runs through to this year. Academics behind the MFP research believe a similar initiative in the UK would significantly improve the livelihoods of low-earning workers, as well as younger and disabled freelancers.

The report also found that housing support for creative workers, which is available in South Korea, could benefit workers with dependent children, as could French- and German-style policies which provide unemployment support and help with national insurance contributions.

According to research by union Bectu and the Film + TV Charity, screen freelancers experience longer working hours and more income insecurity, stress and financial pressures than workers in permanent employment. It has led to a drain of talent from the sector, as cash-strapped freelancers find themselves forced to pursue more stable lines of work.

The Film + TV Charity’s 2024 Looking Glass Survey showed mental health among film and TV workers has worsened, with 30% of workers experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Some 64% of the 4,300 people polled in the survey were reported to be considering leaving the industry due to concerns about mental health, with 32% having taken firm steps to do so.

The MFP study was led by the British Screen Forum and the Film + TV Charity and supported with funding and advisory input by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, the British Film Institute, Bectu, actors’ union Equity, Directors UK and the Production Guild of Great Britain.

The study used microsimulation modelling based on policies currently in place in Germany, France, South Korea, Spain, Ireland and Sweden. Researchers modelled outcomes for six representative cases: freelancers on average, high and low incomes; younger freelancers; disabled freelancers; and freelancers working outside of London, both with and without children.

Pete Johnson, chief executive of the British Screen Forum, said: “The pressure of income insecurity has inevitably been felt most acutely by those with the least to fall back on. This has exacerbated existing issues relating to the under-representation of certain groups of people – including disabled people, people from minoritised ethnic communities and people from working-class backgrounds.

“This report brings hard data to the discussion for the first time. It grounds in evidence a productive debate about how best to ensure that the UK screen sector has the workforce it needs to deliver the growth and social value we all want to see.”

Professor Eikhof said: “We are at a critical crossroads for the UK’s globally leading film and TV industries. Since the pandemic, compounded by the production downturn, strikes and cost-of-living crisis, we’ve seen alarming numbers of skilled freelancers leaving the sector.

“We need fresh ideas to attract and keep the people that film and TV industries so desperately need. Our research offers concrete solutions that could help retain the diverse talent pool our creative industries depend on. For instance, screen-specific basic income policies or housing support for creative workers could be real game-changers.”

Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, said: “The skills and talents of UK film and TV workers are the envy of the world – yet far too many have told us they don’t see themselves in the industry in five years’ time, driven out by a host of challenges.

“It’s clear that improved and sustained support for the workforce is badly needed to stem the skills exodus, and we welcome this timely report which scrutinises a number of ways in which the UK government could provide such support.”