The annual Thrive report by Creative Access examines business sentiment around DE&I with employers and career sentiment amongst individuals from our community, the majority of which (70%) come from groups underrepresented in the creative industries.
This study conducted over a two week period in May 2023 sets out to compare how far the dial has moved for individuals when it comes to career progression and what employers are doing to facilitate this. We also looked into whether enough is being done to secure and foster mid to senior diverse talent to thrive in the creative industries. A career level where we’ve consistently seen industry-wide under-representation.
- For employees, we looked at whether they felt they have the necessary tools and resources for career progression, such as a strong network, skills and knowledge as well as more intangible factors such as confidence
- In our research with employers, we examined their progress towards putting in the structures needed to support employees and building inclusive business cultures
Key findings:
- The number of respondents reporting feeling sufficiently prepared and resourced for advancing their careers has dropped since 2022
- Feelings of confidence, optimism and being well resourced are also lower amongst disabled respondents than amongst other groups, this is especially true when intersectionality is considered, for example when disabled candidates are also Black, Asian, or Ethnically Diverse (BAED)
- Individuals who have not received support from CA are less also likely to report working in a supportive and inclusive culture (73% versus 59%), less likely to report that their organisation is making progress on equity, diversity and inclusion (76% versus 65%). And they’re also much less likely to report feeling confident or optimistic, or having the skills, knowledge, contacts and networks they need to progress in their careers
- While most employers recognise that their DE&I focus has been concentrated at entry level so far, there is recognition that this needs to shift towards the whole of the organisation, especially at mid to senior level
- 89% of employers said working with CA contributed towards their organisation’s progress against their DE&I goals. And the majority report that they have a strategy in hand (38%)
Read the report in full here.