Research by USW and Media Cymru highlights priorities for Wales’ screen industry

A new report from the University of South Wales provides an updated picture of Wales’ screen workforce, helping to identify future training priorities and support the continued development of the sector.

The Wales Screen Workforce Survey 2026 has been published as part of Media Cymru – a five-year development programme and consortium aimed at turning the Cardiff Capital Region and the wider Welsh media sector into a global hub for green, fair, and inclusive media innovation.

The report builds on a benchmark survey first conducted in 2022 to better understand the people working across Wales’ screen industries and the challenges and opportunities they face. It examines the workforce’s demographics, locations of work, and distribution across different screen sectors, while exploring current training needs, innovation capacity, wellbeing, working environments, sustainability, and wider industry concerns.

The original 2022 survey helped shape the University’s screen sector training provision and informed the design and delivery of 22 training courses between 2023 and 2026. By repeating the survey in the final year of the Media Cymru programme, researchers have been able to provide an up-to-date snapshot of the sector and identify how priorities have evolved.

The findings will help inform future training provision, ensuring opportunities are tailored to the needs of Wales’ screen sector workforce, particularly freelancers, and are designed to be accessible, inclusive, and responsive to industry demands.

The report also provides valuable evidence for employers, policymakers, and training providers seeking to support the continued growth and resilience of Wales’ screen industry.

You can download the full report here: Wales Screen Workforce Survey 2026