Britain’s film and TV industry could have 35,000 extra workers to help it meet the staffing needs of the production boom if it increases the retention of older, experienced staff over the age of 50, according to research by the Film and TV Charity.

Retention has long been a problem for the film and television industry, largely due to long working hours, pressure of deadlines and budgets, frequent travel for location shoots, the difficulty of finding a balance between professional and private life and of reconciling family life with work.

As women reach their mid-thirties and men a bit older, they increasingly abandon the industry for a more balanced lifestyle and to pursue other interests.

In a research paper titled Absent Friends: Scaling the Film and TV Industry’s Retention Problem, the Film and TV Charity estimated the number of “missing” older workers aged 50 and over to be between 24,000 and 35,000.

Compared to the overall UK workforce, the film and television industries have an age bias towards young people and away from middle-aged and older people. A higher proportion of film and TV workers are under 40 than in the UK workforce as a whole. From 40-50 years old, the percentages are about the same.

But the proportion of film and TV workers aged 50 and over is considerably lower than the average for the UK workforce. For women, the bias starts younger than men, with women leaving the industry from their mid-30s.

The charity said better retention of experienced workers could help address the current labor shortage in the film and television industries.

“Older workers leaving are experienced, many with management and leadership skills: these are exactly the kind of people the industry needs and struggles to recruit,” the report said.

A related issue for the industry is that the loss of older staff can lead to premature promotion of less experienced people, sometimes without the training they need to do the job properly.

“Labour shortages in the film and TV industry are occurring against the backdrop of an overall UK workforce which has shrunk since the start of 2020. So without better retention, it may continue to be difficult to meet the staffing needs of the British film and television industry,” the report states.