The creativity of the Filipino is shining through and paying off.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that in 2023, creatives contributed around P1.72 trillion, or 7.1 percent to gross domestic product, higher by 6.9 percent from the P1.61 trillion it generated in 2022.
Except for a dip at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the creative economy has steadily grown from P1.18 trillion in 2018.
The PSA said among the industries that comprise the creative economy are:
* Audio and audiovisual media activities;
* Digital interactive goods and service activities;
* Advertising, research and development, and other artistic service activities;
* Symbols and images and other related activities;
* Media publishing and printing activities;
* Music, arts and entertainment activities;
* Visual arts activities;
* Traditional cultural expression activities;
* and Art galleries, museums, ballrooms, conventions and trade shows, and related activities.
Symbols and images and other related activities accounted for 32 percent of the creative economy, increasing its contribution by 2.4 percent to P541.75 billion.
Advertising, research and development, and other artistic service activities, a sector that lawmakers want to open to greater foreign ownership to spur investments, contributed 22 percent, while Digital interactive goods and service activities had a 21 percent share.
The creative economy employed 7.26 million persons, a 4 percent increase from 6.98 million in 2022. Employment in Traditional cultural expression activities recorded the highest share of 36 percent in 2023. Symbols and images and other related activities accounted for 30 percent of workers whil Advertising, research and development, and other artistic service activities employed nearly 18 percent.
