Junior staff are finding better contracts, senior staff are burning out: the arts are losing the war for talent

Sat, 3 Dec 2022 23:07:08 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/junior-staff-are-finding-better-contracts-senior-staff-are-burning-out-the-arts-are-losing-the-war-for-talent-194174>

"In 1997, consulting firm McKinsey & Company coined the term “the war for
talent” to define increasing labour shortages that had significant potential to
impact organisational performance.

The war for talent significantly impacted corporations at the time, creating a
scarcity mindset and encouraging a wave of employee-focussed initiatives
designed to attract and retain staff.

For the most part, the arts and cultural sector have been sheltered from the
war for talent over past decades. Global growth in creative oriented higher
education coupled with the “romance of being creative” has led to a steady
stream of workers willing to enter the sector on low pay.

However, in 2022 things have changed.

Faced with labour shortages, arts and cultural organisations increasingly find
it challenging to operate. In 2021, it was reported screen productions in
Australia were being jeopardised due to lack of technical skills.

Now, summer festivals are struggling to find frontline workers, including
security, stage crew, ticketing and transport.

It’s not just entry-level positions that remain empty.

After a decade of funding cuts and policy neglect, followed by the stresses
induced by COVID-19, I am observing arts leaders leaving to find secure, better
paid and sustainable work elsewhere.

In Australia’s increasingly tight labour market, the arts are finally facing a
war for talent."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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