Regional Diversity Roundtable

In light of the results of the Publisher's Association's latest work force survey, Comma would like to announce that, on behalf of the Northern Fiction Alliance, we are hosting a 'Regional Diversity Roundtable' on the 30th January 2019.

The roundtable will bring together publishing representatives from across the industry, ranging from small independents to some of ‘the big five’, to discuss issues around regional inequalities, and how best to affect change and share good practice.

The major survey of the UK’s publishing workforce by the PA found that “significant progress” still needs to be made on both the numbers of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff and improving regional diversity, with the majority of those working in the industry coming from London and the south east. According to the survey of 6,432 individuals working for 42 organisations, 11.6% of respondents identified as BAME – lower than the UK population (14%), and significantly lower than London (40.2%). The results echo those of a 2017 online survey of 1,000 publishers that found 90% of the workforce was white.