That is just part of being able to do my cool job: Understanding low earnings but high job satisfaction in the creative industries in the Netherlands

Work in the creative industries seems to be characterized by a contradictory situation between (very) low levels of earnings pared with high levels of job satisfaction. Often this is attributed to creative workers ‘just valuing other aspects of their work’. Other explanations are also possible such as labour market conditions and a lack of collective interest representation. In this study we combine these explanations and aim to understand if and why earnings in the creative industries are low(er). We focus on two sub-sectors of the creative industries: graphic design- and the games industry. Semi-structured interviews were held with entrepreneurs, freelance workers and employees, as well as institutional level actors. Results show that workers do not overall perceive their income levels as low at an absolute level, although they do point out specific groups as vulnerable: starting entrepreneurs, freelance workers, and indie game developers. These groups are central for the make-up of the sector as many start their own business at some point in their career. Workers indicate, however, that they are willing to forego earnings for the sake of working in the sector. This situation can best be understood as an interaction between personal preferences, labour market conditions and lack of interest in collective organization. In addition, there seems to be a norm that ‘true creative workers’ are willing to sacrifice earnings.