This article is from page 12 of the 2009-02-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
AT LEAST 2,000 new jobs could be created in the western region in the creative sector, a new report has re- vealed.
That’s according to a report by the Western Development Commission on the creative sector, which refers to those businesses which rely most on human creativity to generate eco- nomic value, ranging from TV pro- duction, music, theatre, architecture, graphic design to the running of art galleries. When international com- parisons are factored in, this sector could create 2,000 extra jobs, ac- cording to Gillian Buckley, Chief Executive of the Western Develop- ment Commission. Ms. Buckley was speaking at the launch yesterday of the WDC’s report ‘Creative West: The Creative Sector in the Western Region’, the first study of its kind conducted in Ireland.
She added, “There are 4,779 crea- tive businesses operating in the west- ern region, directly employing over 11,000 people or three per cent of all employment in the region. This gen- erates an annual turnover of €534m and directly contributes €270m to the gross value added of the regional economy. It is therefore a major eco- nomic contributor to the region that we believe can be grown significant- ly, even in these difficult economic abe plone
Ms Buckley added, “With an av- erage annual growth rate of 8.7 per cent in world trade of creative goods
and services, the creative sector will be to the forefront in building Ire- land’s smart economy in that it offers the opportunity to develop thriving indigenous enterprises. If we are to fully realise this potential we must begin by understanding the cur- rent situation in the region and the challenges facing the sector’s future erowth. This is why the WDC com- missioned this research to investigate the size of the region’s creative sector and to identify the key issues which people working in the sector face.” Speaking at the launch, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht
Affairs, Mr Eamon O Cuiv, TD said, “The Western Development Com- mission is keen to promote the crea- tive sector in this part of the coun- try, not just because of the inherent importance of the arts in our nation’s psyche and identity, but because it also has the potential to contribute to the sustainable long-term develop- ment of this predominantly rural re- gion. Simply put, it makes economic sense to support creativity”.