Make Freelancing Pay

[Report in partnership] Looking at changes to the UK tax and benefits system, and how that could help film and TV industry freelancers

How changes to the UK tax and benefits system could help transform film and TV industry freelancers’ financial stability

Make Freelancing Pay is a comprehensive study of tax and benefits policies for creative industry freelancers based on those in six other countries. The report reveals how innovations could transform UK screen industry freelancers’ financial stability, delivering substantive improvements in disposable household income and helping to counteract the current risk of a talent drain from this vital creative sector.

Why UK film & TV needs freelancer financial stability

Film and TV are key to the creative industries’ £124.6 billon to the UK economy, but their success depends directly on a skilled and diverse workforce.

A large proportion of this workforce is self-employed or works on project-based contracts, facing high income insecurity and sometimes challenging working conditions.

Key findings

An Ireland-style basic income could increase freelancers’ disposable income by 50% and more. Low-earning workers, disabled workers and younger workers would have their position significantly improved.
Housing support for creative workers, which is available in South Korea, was the only policy that benefitted workers with dependent children more than workers without dependents.
French- and German-style policies that provide unemployment support and support with National Insurance Contributions were more beneficial for those workers who already earned more, and delivered comparatively small improvements overall.

Download the full report and learn more PDF | 1.25 MB | English

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.

Professor Eikhof, Professor of Cultural Economy & Policy at the University of Glasgow’s College of Arts & Humanities

Retaining the diverse talent pool of our creative industries

The research was conducted by Prof. Doris Ruth Eikhof of the University of Glasgow and Dr Hannah Randolph, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde, in a project led by British Screen Forum and the Film and TV Charity, and supported with funding and advisory input by Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, BFI, Bectu, Equity, Directors UK and the Production Guild of Great Britain.

Professor Eikholf added: “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.”