Surviving Ageism in the Creative Industry

From entering the industry late and being locked out of opportunities, to working your way up only to have to hide your experience to be employable, we hear from those in the industry about the ageism they’ve experienced and what they do to survive it.

As one of many countries with an ageing population, we’re accustomed to the idea that we will be working for a while. And in the creative industries, where there can be a sense of vocation and pride in mastering your craft, that may not sound such a bad thing.

Yet perversely, these industries skew younger than most: a 2025 report from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) highlights that only 8% of people in advertising agencies are over the age of 51, compared to 33% of the overall UK workforce, while the UK Design Council’s Design Economy report of 2022 found only 16% of all designers were over 55.

All romance aside, hoping that your career might simply sustain you may prove to be wishful thinking, with the dire stats suggesting an industry incapable of looking after its workforce until retirement age through a mix of lack of pay, career progression, support and respect. To examine how this plays out personally, we talked to a number of creatives from across the industry.

Source: Creative Review