Reposted from Broadcast Magazine
The number of women working in television, particularly the indie sector, has increased over the past three years – but black, Asian and ethnic minority numbers have fallen. These figures have been revealed as part of Creative Skillset’s Employment Census, which gathered detailed information on the creative industries’ workforce between 2009 and 2012.
The number of women working in the television industry has increased from 53,750 in 2009 to 69,590 in 2012, meaning they now represent 36% of the total workforce of 50,600. There were notable rises in the indie sector, where women make up 48% of the workforce, compared to 30% three years ago. There was a slight rise among the terrestrial broadcasters – increasing from 48% to 49%, but it has fallen from 36% to 33% among cable and satellite broadcasters. The number of women in production has rocketed from 39% to 50%, and in creative development, from 25% to 46%. Elsewhere, women now make up 56% of the legal jobs and 33% of the strategic management roles – up from 22% in 2009. However, representation among black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (BAME) has fallen from 12,250 in 2009 to 10,300 in 2012. This represents 5.4% of the industry, compared to 6.7% in 2009 and 7.4% in 2006. While numbers have risen slightly within the terrestrial broadcasters, from 9.3% to 9.5%, it has fallen from 12.3% to 9.1% in the pay-TV sector and from 7% to 5% among indies.
The total number of people working in the creative industries has risen from 188,150 to 192,200 in the past three years, despite the tough economic climate. There has been a 6% rise within terrestrial broadcasters, from 15,750 to 16,650, but a drop of 400 within the pay-TV world to 12,300 and a small drop from 21,700 to 21,650 within indies. Freelancers now make up 39% of the television business, a significant jump since 2009. There are now 20,000 TV freelancers – up from 13,900 in 2009. Dinah Caine, chief executive of Creative Skillset, said: “This Census forms just one part of a wider programme of research enabling us to understand the needs of the industries to address key skills gaps and shortages that exist. We will be sharing the results of the Census on 12 July and what it means for our sectors going forward.”
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