The UK Publishing Workforce: Diversity, inclusion and belonging in 2022
The Publishers Association’s industry survey shows that there has been an increase in the diversity of the workforce, but that there are still areas which need to be improved on.
The survey remains the biggest of its kind in the creative industries. A total of 11,866 employees from 50 businesses took part in 2022.
Key findings from The UK Publishing Workforce: Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging in 2022:
- Females continue to dominate the workforce,accounting for two thirds of respondents (66%), with an increasing proportion of executive leadership and senior management positions being held by females (56% and 60% respectively).
- Representation of people from ethnic minority groups (excluding White minorities) has increased to 17% from 15% in 2021.
- LGBT+ representation has increased, with 15% (up from 13% in 2021) of respondents either identifying as lesbian, gay, or bi, or self-describing their sexual orientation, a figure which has grown each year since 2017 (5%) – and as in 2021, 1% of respondents identified as trans.
- The representation of people with a disability or long-term health condition has increased from 2% in 2017 to 16% in 2022 (up from 13% in 2021).
- Socio-economic background continues to represent major barriers to inclusion, with two thirds (66%) of respondents being from professional backgrounds.
This will be the final iteration of our UK Publishing Workforce report in its current form. On 31st January 2023, the Publishers Association launched the ‘Inclusivity Action Plan’ that comprises of a set of 10 commitments for publishing businesses to undertake over the period 2023 – 2026. This will include a new way of collecting data, in the form of a survey every two years, that will ultimately provide a clearer, more comprehensive view of our industry.