Information, Culture & Recreation

Information, culture and recreation services have played a big role in society throughout history. Musicians have been writing and performing songs for thousands of years. Tragic and comic dramas were performed by Ancient Greeks, who also held the first Olympic Games. Book publishers have been around since Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440, and the English-speaking newspaper industry dates back to 1666, when the London Gazette was first published.

Alexander Graham Bell started the telecommunications industry going when he invented the telephone in 1876. The first public projection of a (silent) movie was in Paris in 1895. The groundwork for the development of the radio industry was laid in 1901, when Marconi successfully transmitted Morse code across the Atlantic to Newfoundland.

Television was one of the most revolutionary developments of the 20^th century. It has had an enormous effect on how people spend their leisure time and has greatly influenced the values of our society. The average British Columbian spends about 21 hours, or nearly a full day, watching TV every week. Our fascination with television and movies has been a major factor in the evolution of the information, culture and recreation industry.

The industry is far from static. Many of the big developments in information, culture and recreation have occurred within the last two decades. The computer and Internet revolution has had a transformative effect on virtually every aspect of the industry, from music and film to publishing, broadcasting and telecommunications. For example, computer animation techniques have made it possible to create special effects that have broadened the potential scope of film-making quite significantly. They've also influenced the development of increasingly sophisticated electronic games.

Readers are no longer restricted to perusing newspapers, books or magazines that are stocked on local bookseller or library shelves. Most major newspapers and some magazines make web-based editions of their products available to users from all over the world. Copies of the classics can be downloaded and read on a personal computer. You can listen to radio broadcasts or watch TV shows on the Internet. iPods™ allow individuals to store and listen to downloaded music or radio “podcasts” on a piece of equipment that can be hung around their necks.

The motion picture industry has begun releasing DVDs shortly after they are played in theatres, so consumers can watch them at home. For those who have large flat-screen TV panels and surround-sound systems in media rooms, the quality rivals that in a movie theatre, and theatres have seen attendance drop off in recent years.

Many of the electronic gadgets that people depend on to organize their calendars, communicate with family, friends and business contacts, and while away their leisure time, are produced or supported, by establishments in the information, culture and recreation industry. When you browse the Internet, watch TV, listen to the radio, go to the movies, call someone on the phone, check for email on your Blackberry™ or play a computer game, you're using services produced by this industry.

What's included in information, culture & recreation?

Radio, TV, films, sound recordings, videos, and information and data processing services were all developed as means of entertaining and informing people, and establishments that produce these services are included in the information & cultural services component of this industry. It also includes libraries, archives, and establishments that publish books, magazines, newspapers, software and computer games; produce, distribute and exhibit motion pictures; make sound recordings; broadcast radio and TV programs; and provide wired and wireless telecommunications services, Internet access and data processing services.

Amusement, gambling & recreation services is the biggest employer in the industry

Theatre companies, ballet troupes, orchestras, sports clubs, casinos and lotteries are included in amusement & recreation, as are spectator sports and sporting venues such as ski resorts, golf courses, marinas and other recreational facilities. The industry also includes heritage institutions, such as museums, art galleries, zoos, aquariums and gardens.

What's happened since 1990?

Given the rapid development of technologies in the information and cultural services industry, it's not surprising that this industry has seen faster-than-average growth during the period since 1990. Both employment and GDP have seen their shares of total activity in the economy increase to more than 5% from just over 4% in 1990. The increase has occurred despite setbacks around the turn of the century, when the high-tech sector experienced a bit of a meltdown.

The industry has seen many changes during the last fifteen years, only some of which have been driven by technology. In telecommunications, the deregulation of the telephone industry in the mid-1990s ended BC Tel's longstanding monopoly on local as well as long-distance telephone services and opened up the market to competition. The broadcasting industry has also seen some restructuring during the last decade or so, as media corporations have become involved in both newspaper publishing and TV broadcasting.

At the same time, technological advances have significantly changed the way the industry operates, and the types of services it provides. These services have expanded greatly in scope, and are becoming increasingly important to consumers as well as businesses. The Internet and wireless communications have played a big role in the growth and evolution of this industry.

Both GDP and employment in this industry have increased significantly since 1990

In the early 1990s, many people hadn't even heard of the World Wide Web, cell phones weren't very common, and you had to buy long distance services from your local telephone company. Things have changed a lot since then. Six out of ten BC households now have Internet access. A growing number of British Columbians subscribe to wireless cell phone services, which allow them to stay connected with friends, family and business contacts even when they are away from their usual place of residence or business. Some no longer use land-lines at all.

High-speed Internet access is available from both telephone companies, who use phone lines to provide service, and cable companies, who provide access via the cable network. Cable companies have begun offering customers telephone services, which are also available from computer-based voice-over-Internet telephone companies.

Employment in most of these industries has increased significantly since 1990

 

Although the broadcasting and telecommunications industry has proven to be quite versatile, adapting to the many changes that have occurred in the last decade and a half, employment in the industry declined 11% between 1990 and 2005. It's the only industry within information, culture & recreation services where there are now fewer jobs than in 1990. Despite the drop in employment, the GDP generated by broadcasting and telecommunications has increased significantly since 1990. This suggests that some of the job losses may be related to changes in the types of services provided by the industry as well as improvements in the technology that's used to deliver these services.

Most of the industries in information, culture and recreation services have seen very strong employment growth since 1990, easily outpacing the 37% increase for the economy as a whole. The fastest growth has been in BC's motion picture and sound recording industry, where the number of jobs nearly tripled between 1990 and 2005, as the province continued to establish a presence in the North American film industry.

In 1990, there were 46 feature films, movies, pilots, and series shot in BC. A total of 211 productions, including 63 feature films, 31 TV series and 24 animation projects, were filmed in BC in 2005. Although almost all of them were Canadian or US productions, companies from as far away as China, Germany and India used BC production facilities in 2005. BC is now the third-largest film and TV service production centre in North America, after Los Angeles and New York.

Employment in amusement, gambling and recreation has increased significantly since 1990. Employment at recreational facilities such as golf courses, ski hills and fitness centres has more than doubled. Half of all households in the province reported spending money at sports and recreation facilities in 2003. However, these facilities aren't just visited by British Columbians. BC has world-class ski hills that are popular with visitors from all over the world, and travellers to the province are also attracted to its many golf courses and other outdoor recreation facilities.

There has been even stronger growth in the gambling industry, where employment has nearly tripled, increasing by about 5,000 people since 1990. Seven out of ten households in the province reported spending money on games of chance in 2003. The average expenditure on lotteries, casinos and bingo games was $246 (net of winnings).

The strong job growth seen in the publishing industry is partly related to the province's emerging software publishing industry, which currently employs about 4,000 British Columbians. BC is home to the biggest studio of Electronic Arts, a major developer of computer games, as well as number of other software developers and publishers.

Information and data processing services, which includes news syndicates, libraries, archives and other types of information services has seen slower growth (+85%), as has the performing arts & spectator sports industry (+80%), but the increases are still more than double overall employment growth in the province during this period.

What are the most common occupations?

One in three people working in this industry is in an occupation related to art, culture, recreation or sport. The biggest occupational group is recreation program directors, followed by film directors and producers, painters, writers, musicians and actors. Together, they account for about half of the jobs in art, culture, recreation and sport occupations.

A third of the workers are in art, culture, recreation & sporting occupations

Twenty-two percent of the people who work in this industry are in sales and service occupations. Most of them work as attendants or cashiers, at food-service counters, or as sales representatives, casino workers, food and beverage servers, security guards or janitors.

Business, finance & administration occupations employ 19% of the workers, many of whom are clerks. Ten percent of the workers are in management positions while 7% have jobs in natural and applied sciences, mostly in computer-related occupations such as computer programming and software engineering, or as electronic engineering or service technicians.

How many people work in information, culture & recreation, and how much do they earn?

The information, culture and recreation industry employed 112,100 British Columbians in 2005. Of this total, 33,000 worked in amusement, gambling and recreation services and 22,100 were employed in broadcasting and telecommunications, while 19,600 worked in performing arts and spectator sports. Most (14,200) of the latter group were independent artists, writers and performers. The rest of the jobs in this industry were in publishing (15,700), motion picture and sound recording (9,300), information and data processing services (8,900) or heritage institutions (3,500).

Workers in the industry earned an average hourly wage of $19.28 in 2005, which was virtually the same as the average for all industries ($19.36) in that year.

Within the industry, average hourly earnings were highest in broadcasting and telecommunications ($23 an hour) and in the publishing ($22) and motion picture and sound recording ($22) industries. People working in information and data processing services earned an average hourly wage of $20, as did those in performing arts, spectator sports and related industries. Wages were lowest at heritage institutions ($16) and in the amusement, gambling and recreation ($15) industry.

The average work week in information, culture and recreation services was 34 hours long in 2005, two hours less than the all-industry average.

What are the characteristics of the workforce?

Three out of four (74%) workers in this industry are employed full-time, slightly less than the 80% average for all workers in the province. About 27% have union coverage, compared to 33% for the economy as a whole.

Men make up 53% of the workforce, which is the same as their share of the total workforce in BC.

The industry's unemployment rate averaged 6.8% during the period from 1990 to 2005. This was higher than the jobless rate for the service sector as a whole (5.1%), but well below the 8.4% average for the province during this period.

Self-employment is somewhat more common in this industry (22%) than in the economy as a whole (20%), but it's localized within a few industries. Eight out of ten workers in performing arts, spectator sports and related industries were self-employed in 2005, nearly four times the average for the industry as a whole. In the motion picture and sound recording industry, one in three workers were self-employed, while about 8% of workers in amusement, gambling and recreation were their own bosses. These three industries accounted for almost all of the self-employment within this group. The traditional broadcasting and telecommunications industry requires a significant investment in capital infrastructure to provide services, so self-employment is not common in this segment of the industry.

Just over a quarter of the people who work in this industry are employed in establishments with between 100 and 500 workers. This may reflect the relative importance of broadcasting and telecommunications and publishing within this group. Still, more than two-thirds of the workers are employed at establishments with fewer than 100 employees.

 Most establishments in the industry are relatively small

Where are the jobs located?

The Lower Mainland accounts for a bigger-than-average share of employment in this industry

Many of the activities in this industry are concentrated in the Vancouver/Lower Mainland area, where 68% of the workers are located.

Telecommunications and broadcasting companies often locate their main administrative functions in population centres like Vancouver, with branch offices providing services such as maintenance and hookups in smaller centres.

Vancouver is home to the two biggest newspapers in the province and TV stations that broadcast to viewers in the Lower Mainland as well as other regions. It is the main centre of BC's film, animation and software publishing industry, although filming facilities are also available in Victoria and other parts of the province.

Establishments throughout the province provide amusement and recreation services. The BC Lottery Corporation, which runs the provincial lottery system, has its headquarters in Kamloops.

What's the outlook to 2014?

The information, culture and recreation services industry is expected to maintain its share of GDP at about 5% during the next few years. However, it's anticipated that employment growth won't be as strong as in other parts of the economy, and the industry's share of total employment is forecast to drop to 5%.

Employment growth in this industry is not expected to keep pace with the rest of the economy during the next few years