9th November 2026
Workforce Survey opens to more of Northern Ireland’s arts sector
Workforce Survey opens to more of Northern Ireland’s arts sector
Our Workforce Survey is moving into its next phase, and we’re now inviting employees and board members of arts organisations receiving National Lottery Project Funding (NLPF) from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to take part.
We’ve already gathered responses from annually funded organisations, and now we’re looking to build a fuller picture of what working in Northern Ireland’s arts sector looks like.
Our initial work, establishing which organisations are eligible for the research, has already highlighted some interesting differences in how they’re run, particularly when it comes to employees, freelancers and volunteers.
“Permanent freelancers” and volunteers running many arts organisations
The organisations that receive National Lottery Project Funding (NLPF) from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) are a very varied bunch – they include art galleries, music ensembles, venues, voluntary organisations and larger organisations that deliver arts activities as part of wider remits.
And while the vast majority are charities, there’s a variety of employment practices: around a third of respondents said that their NLPF organisation has no employees at all and they are either completely volunteer-led and / or hire freelancers, including “permanent freelancers”. Slightly more said they have 1-3 employees and a handful have 4-6 employees.
Is there a difference between working for an organisation that gets Annual Funding and one that gets NLPF?
That’s one of the things our Workforce survey aims to find out. We’ve already got lots of responses from employees of annually-funded organisations and now have opened the survey to NLPF organisations.
It’s the same survey, asking about what it’s like to work in the arts sector, covering pay and conditions, behaviours and feelings as well as Section 75 questions to enable reporting on diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities.
In the coming months we will be reporting on many aspects of the Workforce research, including how these NLPF organisations compare with annually funded ones. There will also be a survey for artists and freelancers in early 2027.
Workforce Survey now open to organisations receiving NLPF Funding
Any employee or board member who works for an arts organisation based in Northern Ireland that receives National Lottery Project Funding (NLPF) should have received a link to the Workforce survey from their organisation. If you haven’t and think you should have, then please get in touch and we’ll gladly help: Just email John@wewillthrive.co.uk
Want to know more about the Workforce Survey?
We’ve answered some of the most common questions about the research, including who can take part, confidentiality and how the information collected will be used. Read our Workforce Survey FAQ >>
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