Who works in Publishing?
The Publishing industry employs over 195,000 people, representing approximately 36% of the creative media workforce. Over 51,000 people are employed in the newspaper sector, with 50,500 working in journals and magazines, 33,000 in the book industry and nearly 12,000 in other information service activities..
12% of the workforce is self-employed, but some sub-sectors, such as book publishing, rely more heavily on freelancers than others. Half of the workforce hold a degree or equivalent qualification but this rises to 70% in book publishing. Two thirds (67%) of the workforce is aged 35 or over, compared to 61% of the wider Creative Media Industries.
The majority of companies are based in London and the South East of England. However, the diversity of this geographical area is not reflected in the working population. Only 9% of employees are from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in London's publishing industry. This is disproportionately low when compared to 32% of London's population across the whole of the economy.
There is concern about the limited socio-economic background of those working in the industry. Half of employers currently offer work experience or work placements. Of these employers, 74% have said they organise them through personal contacts from individuals looking for experience. Unpaid work experience accessed through personal contacts and networks is often linked to difficulties accessing the industry from lower socio-economic groups.
Gender is evenly distributed with 54% male and 46% female, although this drops to 35% in news agencies. Publishing is slightly ahead of other UK creative media sectors in employing people with disabilities, but behind the level in the overall UK economy.
(Source: Skillset 2009)
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