The UK’s Film and TV Charity is calling for as many members of the industry’s workforce as possible to take part in a survey looking at the on-going financial impact of the industry slowdown, which is being driven by the Hollywood strikes.
The charity released the results of its first financial survey earlier this year but now wants to investigate the impact of what it describes as “one of the most sustained periods of financial uncertainty” in the industry’s 100-year history.
In May, before the current production slowdown and strikes in the US had taken full effect, the survey found:
- 46% of respondents had less than £1,000 in savings
- 50% weren’t contributing to a pension
- Workers from under-represented groups were more likely to be impacted by financial concerns
The charity added it is experiencing an 800 per cent increase in applications for Stop-Gap Grants to meet financial need.
“We’ve made no secret of the fact that people in our industry are facing an emergency,” said the charity’s CEO Marcus Ryder. “As we go into the winter, our real concern is that things are only likely to get worse for many with the US strikes continuing to impact UK productions and compounding other issues affecting the landscape.”
He added: “It’s vital that as many people as possible complete our short survey to help us see the real picture, and so that we can shape our support services to ensure those who need help the most are able to receive it. We especially want to hear more from workers outside London and the Southeast, and from workers from under-represented or marginalised groups.”
The survey is open until November 14th and can be found here.
