The arts are losing the war for talent

Junior staff are finding better contracts, while senior staff are burning out. Kim Goodwin takes a look at Australia's increasingly tight arts labour market.

21 Nov 2022

The Conversation

All Arts

Faced with labour shortages, arts and cultural organisations increasingly find it challenging to operate. Image: Shutterstock.

In 1997, consulting firm McKinsey & Company coined the term ‘the war for talent‘ to define increasing labour shortages that had significant potential to impact organisational performance.

The war for talent significantly impacted corporations at the time, creating a scarcity mindset and encouraging a wave of employee-focussed initiatives designed to attract and retain staff.

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