A new report has found professional artists, including visual artists, musicians, writers, and dancers, are finding it “harder than ever” to earn a living wage.
Government body Creative Australia and Macquarie University surveyed over 600 artists about their 2021/22 income.
The Artists as Workers report found more women were in creative jobs but men continued to earn more, on average.
Here’s what else it found.
Income
$23,200
The average yearly amount earned by artists from creative work.
$54,500
The average artist’s total income, including earnings from work outside the creative industry. This combined amount is 26% below the average workforce income in Australia, making it difficult for professional artists to earn a living.
Gender
- 1 in 10 artists work full time in their profession.
- Women make up two thirds of Australians working in the arts.
$13,800
How much the average female artist earns, compared to the male average of $17,600.
19%
The gender pay gap in the arts. This is greater than the overall workforce gender pay gap of 12%.
Diversity
- The number of artists with a disability has doubled since 2016.
- The number of artists who are multilingual and based in regional areas is also increasing.
