Publishers Association report reveals 'disappointing drop' in ethnic minority representation within industry

A report by the Publishers Association (PA) has revealed that "ethnic minority" representation across the industry fell by two percentage points in 2024, from 17% to 15%, with a decline in the numbers of Asian and British Asian staff.

The UK Publishing Workforce: Diversity, inclusion and belonging in 2024 report is based on responses from 9,707 people working in 52 publishing companies.

The survey found that there is room for improvement when it comes to being representative of different socio-economic backgrounds, revealing that 65% of respondents come from professional backgrounds.

"We know that we need to work hard as a sector to encourage more people from lower socio-economic backgrounds into the industry," said Dan Conway, c.e.o. of the PA. "We also need to work hard to understand the disappointing drop in Asian and British Asian staff since the 2022 survey."  

The research also showed that ethnic minority representation in publishing has increased in London from 17% to 23%, despite publishing become less London-centric. There has been a significant increase in staff living outside of London, with the proportion of respondents living in London down 10 percentage points, now accounting for 35%. The South East has also seen a rise in respondents, up from 21% in 2022 to 27% in 2024. 

Publishing remains a female-dominated industry, according to the research, which showed that over two in three respondents identify as female (68%)—up from 66% in since 2022. LGBTQ+ representation also remains high within the industry, compared to the general UK population, at 16% compared to 3%.

"A workforce that is reflective of the UK will enable the industry to tell authentic, compelling and original stories relevant to our society," Conway added. "Working with Creative Access and our Diversity Working Group, we will be focusing on specific and targeted activities to support the publishing sector in these areas in 2025 and beyond." 

Josie Dobrin OBE, executive chair and co-founder of Creative Access, added: "We have already held some listening sessions with key stakeholders and identified areas to explore in the year ahead. We will introduce interventions that are driven by, and rooted in, the needs of those they are aimed at; ones that deliver lasting results and secure the best talent and ideas for the sector."