2007 National Vital Signs Report
Arts and Culture
Thriving arts and culture is one mark of a vital community. And one measure of the health of a sector is the amount of employment it generates. In our nation’s cultural industries (publishing, motion pictures and video, broadcasting, Internet publishing and broadcasting, performing arts, spectator sports and related industries, and heritage institutions), employment has increased significantly since 1987: an average annual growth rate of 1.44%. However, 2006 showed the first drop-off in recent years – a significant one-year reduction of 3.7%.19
The arts and culture sector’s share of total employment has remained steady over the last 20 years: fluctuating between a high of 2.06% in 2005 to a low of 1.81% in 1991. The share is generally higher in Canada’s large cities than in small ones.20
