TV companies invited to take part in 2015 Census

Creative Skillset is once again giving creative media employers the chance to stand up and be counted in the first industry-wide census since 2012.

The Census for the TV industry opens Monday 20 July. TV production companies can complete the Census online.

The deadline for completing the Census is Friday 30 October.

Creative Skillset’s Employment Census of the Creative Media Industries, which has been running since 1999, is the only project of its kind for creative media in the UK, and provides an accurate and detailed picture of the creative industries.

The crucial piece of work helps the creative sectors* in the UK stay informed about the industry, including key occupations, working patterns, gender and ethnicity. Findings from the Census also inform Government and industry policy and co-investment in developing the skills of people working in these sectors.

The results of the Census are shared freely throughout the industries, allowing employers, training and education providers, policy makers and individuals to see the key issues affecting the creative media industries and inform decisions on how and where to invest in skills and training.

The last Census in 2012 revealed that the representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people (BAME) had declined to just 5% of the TV workforce and produced a significant response from the media and the TV industry. It inspired Lenny Henry’s notable BAFTA lecture in 2014 calling for more diversity in TV.

Creative Skillset CEO, Dinah Caine CBE, urges everyone working in TV to take part in the Census. She says: “The Creative Skillset 2015 Census is a unique and immensely valuable opportunity to give an accurate overview of the creative media industries in the UK today. The findings will help us develop ways to make the sector more accessible whilst remaining highly competitive in the global market.”

Tim Hincks, President, Endemol Shine Group, whose 2015 BAFTA lecture recently argued for the importance of monitoring of social mobility in the television industry, added: “The Creative Skillset Employment Census of the creative media industries is a crucial measure of who works in TV in the UK. Please do take part, as this major overview of our sector is sure to have wider policy influence."

Amanda Ariss, Executive Director, Creative Diversity Network, says: “Information from the last Census helped to push forward the debate about diversity in TV. The Census complements the CDN’s Diamond diversity monitoring system and we urge TV companies to contribute to it.”