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Artists' Careers and Their Labor Markets

In: Handbook of the Economics of Art and Culture

Author

Listed:
  • Alper, Neil O.
  • Wassall, Gregory H.
Abstract
This chapter is a continuation of ongoing work by economists and others on artists' labor markets and careers. It highlights the use of quasi-panel data obtained from census data to examine the employment and earnings of artists while comparing them to all the other professional and technical workers. It also provides a glimpse into what can be learned about artists' careers from true panel data. Quasi-panels from the seven most recent US censuses (1940-2000) provide a reasonably consistent set of findings in each census year. Artists are found to work fewer hours, suffer higher unemployment and earn less than members of the reference group. Over the sixty year period, disparities in unemployment and annual hours worked are found to shrink somewhat, but disparities in earnings do not. Artists earned less across all years even when only members working full-time year-round of each group are compared. The earnings of artists are found to display greater variability than those of other professional and technical workers. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 is used to examine almost twenty years in the artists' lives and provides some insights into their careers. It suggests that many people participate in the artistic labor market, but that few succeed to the point that enables them to develop a career in the arts. In part due to their relatively high educational levels, artists are found to be able to transition from forays into arts occupations to jobs in professional and managerial occupations, not into service occupations as artist `mythology' might suggest. We find that when the artists are young and struggling to make it they do work in various service occupations that tend to provide greater work schedule flexibility.

Suggested Citation

  • Alper, Neil O. & Wassall, Gregory H., 2006. "Artists' Careers and Their Labor Markets," Handbook of the Economics of Art and Culture, in: V.A. Ginsburgh & D. Throsby (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Art and Culture, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 23, pages 813-864, Elsevier.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:artchp:1-23
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Milenko POPOVIĆ & Kruna RATKOVIĆ, 2013. "Oversupply Of Labor And Other Peculiarities Of Arts Labor Market," Theoretical and Practical Research in the Economic Fields, ASERS Publishing, vol. 4(2), pages 204-230.
    2. Manuel Knott & Franz Strich & Kim Strunk & Anne-Sophie Mayer, 2022. "Uncovering potential barriers of using initial coin offerings to finance artistic projects," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 46(2), pages 317-344, June.
    3. Borowiecki, Karol Jan & Dahl, Christian Møller, 2021. "What makes an artist? The evolution and clustering of creative activity in the US since 1850," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    4. Borowiecki, Karol Jan & Graddy, Kathryn, 2021. "Immigrant artists: Enrichment or displacement?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 785-797.
    5. Cellini, Roberto & Cuccia, Tiziana, 2014. "The artist–art dealer relationship as a marketing channel," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 57-69.
    6. Tal Feder & Joanna Woronkowicz, 2023. "Reluctantly independent: motivations for self-employed artistic work," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 47(4), pages 589-607, December.
    7. Laurie Cameron & William N. Goetzmann & Milad Nozari, 2019. "Art and gender: market bias or selection bias?," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 43(2), pages 279-307, June.
    8. Richard J. Paulsen, 2024. "Student loan debt and the career choices of college graduates with majors in the arts," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 48(1), pages 95-115, March.
    9. Lee, Boram & Fraser, Ian & Fillis, Ian, 2022. "To sell or not to sell? Pricing strategies of newly-graduated artists," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 595-604.
    10. Richard J. Paulsen, 2022. "Arts majors and the Great Recession: a cross-sectional analysis of educational choices and employment outcomes," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 46(4), pages 635-658, December.
    11. Cellini, Roberto & Martorana, Marco Ferdinando & Platania, Felicita, 2014. "The multi-product nature of the firm in the arts sector: A case study on ‘Centro Zo’," MPRA Paper 60677, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Amir Borges Ferreira Neto & Ricardo Da Silva Fregugli, 2014. "How Much Does Talent Matter? Evidences From The Brazilian Formal Cultural Industry," Anais do XLI Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 41st Brazilian Economics Meeting] 233, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    13. Grove, Wayne A. & Jetter, Michael & Papps, Kerry L., 2021. "Career lotto? Labor supply in a superstar market," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 362-376.
    14. Bille, Trine & Fjællegaard, Cecilie Bryld & Frey, Bruno S. & Steiner, Lasse, 2013. "Happiness in the arts—International evidence on artists’ job satisfaction," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 121(1), pages 15-18.
    15. Vecco, Marilena & Prieto-Rodriguez, Juan & Teerink, Simone, 2024. "Climbing the ladder? The gender gap in art prices across artists’ cohorts in the Dutch art market," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    16. Hoffmann, Robert & Coate, Bronwyn, 2022. "Fame, What’s your name? quasi and statistical gender discrimination in an art valuation experimentc," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 184-197.

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    JEL classification:

    • Z19 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Other

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