Salary and diversity among publishing hopefuls’ top employer concerns, Creative Access finds

New Creative Access research has revealed the career expectations and ambitions of this year’s school and university leavers aspiring to work in publishing, with hopefuls looking for diverse teams, decent salaries and employer commitment to mental health. 

The organisation carried out a survey of 800 people hoping to enter the creative industries, of which around 250 were interested in a publishing career. Of the publishing hopefuls, the top five factors influencing which organisations they want to work for are: employer reputation (83%), training and support on offer (59%), employer’s commitment to employee wellbeing (50%), organisation’s values (50%), diversity of the team (49%) and reputation for offering a good salary (42%). 

For 71% of Black, Asian and ethnically-diverse young people surveyed, diversity of the team ranked as the most important influence. 

When looking for their first role, publishing respondents placed the most emphasis on the role being challenging, interesting or inspiring (71%), but unlike the wider survey, those aspiring to work in publishing also favoured salary as one of the most important factors (70%). 

A recent Bookseller survey found that staffers were surviving rather than thriving due to the cost of living crisis and stagnant wages. The survey, which received more than 230 responses found 41% of respondents had not been given a pay rise this year, while 37% said their current salary was not enough to cover the cost of living, rising to 41% when considering if their salary will continue to cover the cost of living this year.

Also important to half of the Creative Access survey respondents was an accessible, inclusive, achievable job description. When it came to what hopefuls expected from employers within their first six months, 71% they expected skills training, 62% a mentor, 50% the ability to work flexibly and from home and 42% training around diversity and wellbeing.  

Creative Access c.e.o Josie Dobrin said: “It is heartening to see the agency [the next generation] have in expecting and not being afraid to ask for skills training, mentoring and career progression support from their employers.

“However, our findings clearly show that this optimism is not universal and is not shared at the same level by those from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds. To attract and retain diverse new talent coming into the industry, it’s critical that employers show tangible progress in diversity, equity and inclusion and commit to providing mental health and skills training.” 

Overall, however, the survey found that this generation is optimistic about their chances of finding a role – with over half (54%) expecting to find a job within a year of leaving education. This increases to 76% for those aspiring to work in publishing.

Dobrin said: “Despite everything that is happening in the world at the moment, it’s positive to see how optimistic the next generation is about their future careers in the creative industries.”