Publishing skills report

Skills gaps and shortages in the creative industries have been discussed for many years. Creative UK argue that ‘skills and workforce shortages are a critical barrier to growth’. Workforce development (e.g. supporting freelancers) and boosting the education and skills pipeline are strategic priorities for Creative UK. A recent, 2023 report by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee calls on government to take action to meet huge demand in the creative industries for employees with a mix of digital and technical skills. However, the majority of discussions look at the creative industries as a whole, not the specific sub-sectors within it, and roles within those industries.

The Publishers Association had heard anecdotally about skills shortages and gaps in the publishing sector, but did not have a comprehensive picture of the sector. In order to understand the issues facing different types of publishers specifically (Consumer, Education and Academic publishers), we undertook a survey of Publishers Association members. All 170 members were sent a secure online survey to complete in late 2022. The survey was sent to one contact at each publisher and each organisation was permitted to fill the survey in once.

Overall, 25 member organisations completed the survey (a c.15% response rate), and this report outlines the findings. We aim to repeat this survey in late 2023 to engage more members and to see how, if anything, the skills gaps and issues surrounding them has changed. The survey will inform our engagement with government, the sector, and other stakeholders to secure action on delivering the skills that publishers need.