The Creative Diversity Network (CDN) and Creative Skillset are calling for the TV industry to look urgently at the numbers of disabled staff in television and come together to improve representation levels.
This joint call comes in response to the Creative Skillset workforce survey issued in May that showed that the proportion of disabled people in television is still much lower than in the economy as a whole and has not improved for 10 years.
Directors UK CEO Andrew Chowns, in his capacity as Chairman of Creative Skillset’s TV Skills Council said: "The TV industry has much work to do to create a truly diverse and representative workforce. The progress that has been made in recent years to encourage more BAME and women professionals must be extended to people with disabilities. The TV Skills Council is now working on plans to achieve this”.
Just 5% of the TV workforce consider themselves to be disabled, compared with 11% of the wider working population. The figures vary slightly by TV sub-sector, with the independent production workforce having the highest proportion of individuals with a disability (6%), followed by terrestrial TV (4%) and cable and satellite TV (3%).
The survey also finds that freelancers in the TV workforce (6%) are slightly more likely than permanent staff (4%) to have a disability. The workforce survey also shows that those with disability working in TV earned £2,440 less than the industry average.
You can see more stats here, or click here to read the full Creative Skillset workforce survey.
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