A broad range of skills were reported as being in high demand by the industry, but computer- related skills in general were most frequently identified63.
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High-demand computer-based skills include: database management, use of digital technology, computer animation, special effects animation, Internet marketing, digital marketing, familiarity with new formats (e.g., DVD and HDTV), and website management.›
Non-computer skills in high demand today are: financial analysis, communication,interpersonal, organizational, marketing, complex sales including pre-sale financing and selling from the development stage, and acquisition of not yet produced programs.
62 Distribution companies were asked to assess the quality of training provided to workers in film and televisions distribution by
different sources, in terms of meeting the demands of the workplace. They were asked to respond on a 7-point scale, where 1=of extremely poor quality, 4= of moderate quality, and 7=of extremely high quality. Note the results are based on the responses of just 6-12 firms that responded to the questions.
63 Respondents were asked, in an open-ended question, what skills they feel have emerged as being in high demand over the
78 • EKOS RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, 2004
f)
Future Skills in Demand
A range of skills and occupations were expected to be in high demand over the next five years, with computer-related skills cited most frequently64.
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Examples of high demand computer-based skill areas include: digital technology and distribution skills, distribution software and new format skills, website management, Internet marketing, and high definition television skills.›
Non-computer based “new” skills include new marketing techniques; international business practices/legalities; and “creative deal-making requiring understanding of financing models, co- production agreements and foreign broadcast environments”.5.6
SUMMARY OF KEY RESULTS
The highlights of this chapter are the following. Where applicable, in order to show changes over time, comparisons to the late 1980s are presented, based on findings from the 1990 report, ”A Statistical Profile of Women in the Canadian Film and Television Industry” (produced by the Foundation for Toronto Women in Film and Video, now WIFT-T).
Film and television distribution companies tend to be small and are concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area. Women represent, on average, about a third of the owners of distribution firms, while visible minority groups represent a fifth. Other equity groups represent negligible proportions.
Women represent 62 per cent of the total paid employment of film and television distribution firms and are over-represented compared to their share of the national labour force. Female participation in distribution firms remains virtually unchanged from 1989. Other equity groups are underrepresented compared with their national labour force shares.
Women and members of visible minority groups tend to be underrepresented in senior management positions and over-represented in sales, administration, and clerical positions, compared to their share of the total workforce of distribution firms. Women are also over-represented in marketing and, to a lesser degree, acquisition. Persons with a disability are unrepresented in all categories except administrative support, while Aboriginal persons are unrepresented in all categories except for marketing.
Women in senior management have, on average, lower salaries than the overall average for this position. Women in administrative jobs also tend to have lower salaries. On the other hand, women in marketing positions are paid more than the average salary for that job category.
64 Respondents were asked, in an open-ended question, what skills they expected will emerge as being in high demand in the
Substantial proportions of distribution firms are experiencing difficulty in filling their skill needs in most job categories, with a majority experiencing shortages in two categories: acquisitions and sales. Similarly, at least one-half of distribution companies are experiencing at least some difficulty finding people with skills in most skill areas, regardless of job category. In particular, companies are experiencing trouble with finding people who have knowledge of the industry, marketing/sales skills, generic skills, and management/financial/legal skills.
Respondents most frequently attributed skill shortages to low salary and benefit levels, lack of youth entering the field, and recent graduates not having the “right” attitude. To resolve their skill shortages, firms are most likely to adopt one of three approaches: improving the quality of workplace training, working with training institutions to improve their training, and providing workplace training to more employees. Among various sources of training, distribution companies were, not surprisingly, most likely to say that employer-provided training best meets the demands of the workplace, in terms of meeting the demands of the workplace.
6.
TELEVISION BROADCASTING
In this chapter, information is presented on equity group representation, skill and salary distribution in the broadcasting industry. Results are presented separately for private and public television broadcasters. The results presented are based on data obtained mainly from the Workplace Equity unit of Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD) Canada collected by the Department under the
Employment Equity Act for the year 200165. These data were supplemented by data provided by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada (CBC/Radio-Canada), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and the 2001 Census of Canada.
Among the challenges and trends faced by the television broadcasting industry, similar to those faced by other screen-based industries, are the following: technological developments such as the move to digital broadcasting, interactive television, new broadcasting formats such as high-definition, and satellite broadcasting; massive media consolidation; and continuing demand for Canadian productions arising out of the regulatory framework regarding Canadian content.
Canada’s broadcasters, both public and private, have identified diversity on our screens and in their employment ranks as a key competitive strategy and an important cultural objective. The increase in women’s representation in Canadian broadcast employment since the first WIFT-T study in 1990 — A Statistical Profile of Women in the Canadian Film and Television Industry — can be attributed in part to the efforts of the industry to increase women’s participation in the system at all levels.
Today, individual broadcasters administer a range of grants and investment programs, training and equity strategies, and they support industry organizations, festivals and activities, furthering cultural diversity. In addition, in 2002, at the direction of the CRTC, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) established the Task Force for Cultural Diversity on Television, comprised of five industry and four non- industry representatives. The Task Force's mandate is to develop and oversee a research strategy that will create a realistic and sound set of best practices and other practical initiatives and solutions to ensure the fair and accurate reflection and representation of Canada's cultural, ethnic, racial and Aboriginal communities on Canadian television. The Task Force anticipates that this work will be completed in 2004.
65 Employers covered under the Act (referred to in this chapter as “all firms under the Act”) must annually submit equity group
representation data to HRSD (CANADA). Covered under the Act are all federally regulated employers with 100 or more employees, including organizations in industries such as banking, communications, and international and inter-provincial transportation. The data submitted to the department are based on information collected by employers in surveys of
employees in which the latter self-identify themselves as a member of one equity group or another. In 2001, there were
approximately 394 such employers (private-sector employers and Crown corporations), representing approximately 612,344 employees. Also covered are all federal departments, representing approximately 155,360 employees. Note that as this report was being written, Employment Equity data for 2002 became available. Comparison between 2001 and 2002 on selected variables suggests that there has been little change between the two years. See HRSD (CANADA) website:
82 • EKOS RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, 2004
A. Private Broadcasters
In 2003, total revenues generated by the Canadian private conventional off-air television sector and pay/specialty broadcasting sector amounted to about $4.0 billion66, evenly split between the two groups of broadcasters. Since 1999, conventional broadcasters’ annual revenues have varied little, rising from $1.9 billion in 1999 and $2.1 billion in 2003, but for pay/specialty channels, revenues have nearly doubled, from $1.0 to $1.9 billion. Employment in 2003 was 7,850 at conventional broadcasters and 4,832 at pay/speciality services.
The results for this section are presented for two groups of broadcasters. The first group is composed of smaller private broadcasters (with fewer than 100 employees), whose results are based on data submitted to the CRTC67. The second group includes the 36 large private sector television broadcasters (with 100 or more employees), whose results are based on publicly available data for 2001 obtained from the Workplace Equity unit of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSD (CANADA))68. In 2001, the total number of people employed by these large broadcasters was 12,511, including those involved in radio and television. Included in the group of broadcasters are those involved in both radio and television, as well as those involved just in television. It was not possible to separate radio from television activities in the results presented.