In Haute-Savoie, the image industry has withstood the health crisis well
Posted on Jan 13, 2022, 1:05 p.m.Updated Jan 13, 2022, 1:06 PM
“In years, the indicators that the image and creative industries sector in Haute-Savoie has shown ten proofs of dynamism and agility”, write the authors of the 7th study carried out by Teractem for the Departmental Observatory and covering the year 2020 .
A year further complicated by the health crisis where the turnover achieved by the 803 companies (or 1,881 jobs) that make up the sector fell by 15%, to nearly 155 million euros. While communication agencies have suffered the most from the pandemic due to the closure of ski resorts, animation studios have resisted better: their turnover only contracted by 9% between 2019 and 2020 and their workforce has even increased by 23%, like Caribara Annecy, Pathé Archamps, 8 Mont-Blanc, Pathé Annecy, Les Films du Cygne, Inthebox and Pix Pock.
As for video game studios, few in number (13 companies) but weighing respectively 18% of turnover and 19% of the workforce thanks to the presence of Ubisoft, the main player in the sector in Haute-Savoie, “they are the main beneficiaries of the pandemic and the containment episodes that have affected the entire planet, ”notes the study. As a result, their turnover jumped 30% in 2020, and employment by 14%.
118 companies created
Proof of the industry’s resistance, the study reveals that 118 companies were created in 2020, nearly 60% of which were self-employed. The share of the latter increased by 18.2% compared to 2019, and by 314% compared to 2011.
These creators came from many backgrounds. Some even come from Africa or Europe issued, among others, by the support fund and the reception of Papeteries – Image Factory of Cran-Gevrier. This place is hosted by the Cité de l’image en mouvement in Annecy (Citia), which brings together more than 50 companies, from start-ups to SMEs, and six training courses, including the Gobelins Campus Annecy. At the end of 2019, more than 450 people were working and studying in this 7,000 m2 building which also offers housing possibilities.
What to expect for fiscal years 2021 and 2022? The outlook announced by professionals is “good and consistent with those that existed before the pandemic”, indicating the authors of the study.