New report highlights crisis facing Australia’s Live Performance Crews

On behalf of CrewCare, a new comprehensive report – ‘The Issues Facing Crew Workers in Australia’ was compiled by Dr Ben Eltham, a writer, journalist, researcher, creative producer and social commentator with sponsorship from Winarch Live.

The report offers an inside look at working conditions for Australia’s live performance crews including precarious employment conditions, challenges with mental health, obstacles to career progression, and income ceilings.

The parties believe backstage cultural workers are essential to the cultural supply chain, and that we don’t know enough about workers in the sector.

Key findings include:

• 29% said they were considering leaving their job for a different role or industry, with many respondents citing low wages and work-life balance

• 47% said they rely on income from outside the industry to make ends meet

• 45% said they were working excessive hours, and 53% of respondents said that their working hours prevented a healthy work-life balance

• 57% of respondents said there were obstacles to finding more work in the industry; of these, the majority nominated the obstacles as “lack of training” and “lack of opportunity”

• 50% of respondents said there were “blockages” to advancing their career or finding further work, with 24% saying the main blockage was lack of training or experience.

• 52% of respondents said there weren’t adequate resources available to support them in their career progression

• 30% of respondents said they did not feel they were able to raise issues or concerns with their employer

• 22% felt they did not manage their physical health well, and 23% felt they were not on top of their mental health

• An alarming 5% said they did not have access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality, to meet their needs

• Discrimination and lack of diversity in the workforce remain ongoing concerns, especially for women and non-binary workers.

The report used a number of data points and interviews, including hundreds of responses from the CrewCare Poll, which explored themes including health, membership, employment, career, work-life balance, WHS, and finances. Dr Eltham then examined these findings in combination with ABS data, Live Performance Australia data, and other available information such as media stories and industry reports.

This extensive project means CrewCare can now sketch a picture of what working conditions were like for crew workers in Australia in 2024. The findings underline the urgency of improving conditions for live music and performing arts crew, and the vital role CrewCare plays in advocating for and supporting this essential workforce. These findings provide CrewCare with an accurate and considered analysis of the people it represents, providing valuable insights to help shape its strategic plan to better address the needs of its members.

A number of the challenges and concerns which emerged from the report are caused or compounded by the often insecure, temporary and precarious conditions of employment in the sector. It found very few workers have stable and secure ongoing jobs. Crew workers require better conditions in their workplaces, and they want there to be a voice for workers in their sector.

In addition, they face income challenges. Dr Eltham compared industry income data to that of other sectors and industries across the country, and found there is an income ceiling for crew – far fewer earn high incomes than the overall workforce.

The industry is also still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a near-total shutdown, resulting in job losses and business closures. Plus, rising costs, skills shortages, and soft ticket sales for mid-tier acts is exacerbating the challenges, despite an increase in high-profile tours.

Despite the challenges, there are greenshoots emerging which could point to a more stable and secure future for the sector. Anecdotally, fewer skilled workers appear to be leaving the industry for other sectors, a pressing problem during 2020-2022. More skilled workers are also entering the labour force, from universities and training providers, and also organically as the industry has somewhat improved capacity for on-the-job training.

The report found, however, that the industry is yet to return to full health. In addition, some members felt the industry was not welcoming enough to diversity and to new talent. Discrimination and lack of diversity in the workforce remain ongoing concerns, especially for women and non-binary workers.

Dr Eltham notes "The survey results show that Live Music workers need more support. Survey respondents said they face significant issues in their workplace. Work-life balance is a major issue, as is career development and access to training. Three in ten workers we surveyed want to leave the industry.

"Crew are the lifeblood of the arts and entertainment sector: without them, the show would literally not go on. But conditions for cultural workers in Australia aren't great. The work is often insecure and precarious, and can also be dangerous. If we want Australian culture to stay sustainable, we need major improvements to working conditions for artists and crew alike.

"Organisations like CrewCare that help cultural workers help themselves are vital. But we also need governments to step up and improve policy settings for Australian culture across the board."

Matthew Jens, Director, CrewCare added “this report confirms what we’ve long known – crew are the backbone of live entertainment, yet they continue to face excessive hours,  job insecurity, and income ceilings that limit their earning potential. Over half say their work harms their well-being, and nearly 30% are considering leaving the industry for good. Alarmingly, 47% of crew rely on income from outside the industry just to make ends meet. These findings highlight the urgent need for industry wide change. CrewCare is using these insights to sharpen our strategy and push for real, lasting improvements. The time for action is now.”

Dr Eltham’s research was underpinned and driven by the 2023 CrewCare Poll. These insights were then used to delve deeper into the industry’s key challenges, structural issues and biggest pain points. The Poll had close to 300 responses from industry workers.

The CrewCare Poll had the most respondents from Victoria (44.6%), followed by New South Wales and Queensland (19.8% each), South Australia and Western Australia (5.9% each), and Tasmania (4.0%). 72.6% of the respondents were male, while 22.3% were female, 3.1% non-binary, and the remaining 2.1% preferred not to say. (This is broadly in line with ABS data which indicated women made up just 25.3% of workers in crew occupations on Census night). Those in their 30s made up 24.7% of respondents, followed by 40s (22.0%), 60s (18.8%), 50s (18.1%), 19-29 (13.6%), and 70-80 (2.1%). The remaining 0.7% preferred not to say. 1% of respondents were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, with 3% preferring not to say, and the remaining 96% not of this heritage.