30,000 Backstage Staff Needed by 2017

Stage-directions: "The London-based The Stage News reported recently that “the theatre industry and live music employers (in the U.K.) face a ‘damaging shortage’ of trained technicians, unless the industry can recruit 30,000 new technical staff over the next decade.” Research firm Creative & Cultural Skills forecasts that growth in the U.K. live entertainment arena will require an additional 10,000 backstage staff over the next ten years — in addition to the current technical workforce of 40,000. Furthermore, the firm projects that another 20,000 will be needed by 2017 to replace those who retire or leave the industry for other employment. "