Diversity and the Australian Publishing Industry: Findings from a National Workforce Survey

Abstract

This article reports on the Australian Publishing Industry Workforce Survey on Diversity and Inclusion, conducted in 2022 and co-funded by the University of Melbourne and the Australian Publishers’ Association. Through comparison with similar surveys from the UK and the US and Australian population data, we show that, as in those nations, the Australian publishing industry workforce is disproportionately White, with low representation of people of Asian, African and European cultural identities. The Australian industry lags in representation of First Nations Australians and inclusion of disabled people; is largely female, especially at the lower levels; is highly educated; and has high LGBTQ + representation. A striking finding from our survey is the very high proportion (59%) of Australian publishing workers with mental health conditions, a rate that may be related to the timing of our survey in the aftermath of COVID-19 restrictions but warrants close monitoring. Overall, the Australian survey findings should strengthen a global whole-of-industry commitment to structural changes that redress inequities, create positive workplaces and foster richer, more diverse cultural production.