Cultural organizations face workforce and management challenges that are unique to them. Today, The duty wonders how these organizations retain their staff, now that the shortage seems to have been resolved.
Forward as before. It could be the title of a Michel Vinaver-style play presented at the Théâtre de la Ville, in Longueuil, and having as its subject a mise en abyme of its own human resources.
“We have a double challenge: resources are a little more difficult to recruit than in other sectors and salaries are not very competitive,” summarizes Marc Gauthier, director of communications for the South Shore broadcasting center, who has two performance halls. “Despite these constraints, we are doing well. We had a more difficult period last year in the technical sector, but now the team is stable. Even our hospitality sector, with its atypical hours. Here, we hire passionate and dedicated people who love what we do. »
This is his personal case. Mr. Gauthier was hired last September after a career with a retail association and then with the Cancer Research Society. The Théâtre de la Ville employs seven people full-time and all positions are filled.
The situation is approximately the same at the Darling Foundry in Montreal. The institution, which employs 10 people, runs the artists’ studios, the production center and the exhibition spaces. Morgane Lecocq-Lemieux, trained in art history, holds the position of communications director.
“Devotion is strong in the industry: you have to want to invest a lot,” she summarizes. Recruitment was more difficult during the pandemic. In contrast, over the last six months, two open competitions have generated a good number of applications. “We can now receive around ten interesting applications for a position,” she adds. This is a good sign for us. »
One in six
The pandemic has had repercussions on the retention and recruitment of labor in many sectors, and particularly in culture. The closure of creation and distribution spaces for months has made professionals and artists doubt their career choice.
Data from Compétence Culture, one of the nineteen sectoral workforce committees in Quebec, establish that 23,000 people out of approximately 160,000 cultural employees (16%, or one person in six) have chosen to change jobs. career or stop working between 2020 and 2022. The hole would now be more or less filled. Some who resigned may have returned and new arrivals have been integrated.
“The meaning of their work has been eroded by the confinements and many have chosen to move away from the cultural sector,” explains Pascale Landry, director of Compétence Culture. It’s huge, and it’s mostly women who have left the industry. »
The precise reasons for this observation remain unknown. “It may be because positions held by women have been abolished more,” says Pascale Landry. This may be due to difficulties reconciling personal and professional life. We can just make assumptions. »
She adds that the cultural sector does not employ a majority of women, contrary to popular belief. Certain sectors, such as libraries, are more feminized; others remain more masculine, audiovisual production for example. Overall, women make up approximately 45% of the cultural workforce. They earn up to 15% less on average than their male colleagues.
“The ability of organizations to offer remuneration commensurate with similar positions elsewhere plays a big role,” says M.me Landry. So salaries matter. The working conditions too, with atypical hours. We can also hypothesize that the pandemic has spread the idea that, when things go badly, jobs in the sector are threatened. For young people and parents of young people, the choice of a cultural career can therefore still be perceived as an even greater risk. »
Plans
The basic problems persist. Competence Culture has adopted the Action plan for human resources in culture 2023-2028. The roadmap, defined after extensive consultations, proposes to set up a social safety net for artists and artisans in the sector; to offer them “legitimate and safe” working and remuneration conditions; to provide appropriate training; to open up to diversity.
“To improve our lot, government contributions should be increased for operating assistance,” indicates Marc Gauthier, of the Théâtre de la Ville. People think we live on subsidies. In fact, less than 15% of our income comes from subsidies. Special assistance during COVID has given us some breathing room. We should now review public support to give room to cultural organizations. »
His colleague from the Darling Foundry would also like better working conditions in his sector. She speaks of a “normalization”, quite simply, by emphasizing the ordinary nature of her organism. The wages (around twenty dollars an hour starting) do not allow you to live well, especially in Montreal. They cap out at about half of what a teacher at the top of the scale receives, and even then, with no benefits, no insurance, no retirement plan. And then, teleworking is often not possible and work-family balance suffers. The Foundry hosts four exhibitions per year and at least three events per month, in addition to public programs every week.
Morgane Lecocq-Lemieux cites the Diagnosis of human resources issues in the cultural sector published in September 2022 by Compétence culture. The survey recalls “major trends” observed among the workers surveyed: fatigue and mental health burden, all cultural backgrounds combined; unrecognized and unaccounted for work; non-competitive salaries; lack of promotion of the cultural sector, job security, etc.
“The demands of new generations for better working conditions are completely legitimate,” says the young director. I think that, if we invest to improve these conditions, we invest in the strength of our culture and in the cultural health of Quebec. It’s good to shake up businesses to remind them that just because things have always been done in a certain way doesn’t mean they have to continue that way. »