TV is employing disabled people in off-screen roles at a record level, but diversity at a senior level is down across the board, the Creative Diversity Nwteork’s (CDN) latest Diamond report warns.
The CDN has hit the goal of its Doubling Disability initiative, launched in 2018, with disabled people now occupying 9.7% of off-screen roles, up from 4.5%.
However, this represents half the 20% figure in the general UK workforce.
Similarly. Black, Asian and minority ethnic group representations is up to 14%, helped by gains among East Asians and British East Asians, but remains below the 17% benchmark.
Meanwhile, the number of Black, Black African, Black Caribbean or Black British people in senior roles fell to 2.6%, with representation among disabled, transgender and bisexual individuals also below workforce benchmarks at this level.
The report contrasts a 11.9 percentage point rise among writers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups with a 5.5 percentage point decline in commissioning editor roles among the same group.
“Inequality persists among senior roles, with a lack of representation from Black, deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse professionals, older creatives, transgender talent and those with intersecting identities,” said CDN chief executive Miranda Wayland.
“These gaps are more pronounced as their experiences often go unseen.”
UKTV chief creative officer Richard Watsham, who recently became CDN chair, said the findings “reflect progress in some areas but also persistent inequalities”.
He added: “Representation of Asian and minority ethnic groups has also risen, despite the challenging times faced by freelancers, but at the same time, it’s concerning to see that the number of Black workers actually fell, despite the initiatives put in place following the Black Lives Matter movement.”
