Highly skilled and predominantly female – Workforce Mapping 2023 Survey results out now
Category: News
The libraries and information sector has a highly experienced and predominantly female workforce, with 40 per cent of staff having more than 20 years of work experience, according to data gathered for the Workforce Mapping 2023 survey.
Funding for the survey was provided by organisations from the UK Information Workforce Data Consortium, which supports the sector with accurate and comprehensive data to create growth and new opportunities for employers and library service providers.
The report comes out at a period of great change, disruption and rapid technological advancement in the sector which also includes records management, information management, data protection and knowledge management disciplines.
Key findings of the 2023 mapping report, which was commissioned by the Consortium from research specialists Kinetiq and the Local Government Association, include:
- A predominantly female workforce – women comprise 75% of respondents
- A highly experienced workforce – 40% have more than 20 years professional experience
- Significant pay disparity – 30% earn less than £22k p.a., 20% earn more than £40k p.a.
- Extensive insights into employee satisfaction in the workforce
- Evidence relating to Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and pay equality
Over the coming weeks and months the consortium members will be responding in detail to the findings of the Workforce Mapping Survey from the perspective of their organisations.
Responding to the announcement, CILIP CEO Nick Poole commented:
“For the first time, the UK Information Workforce Data Consortium has brought organisations together from across the world of libraries, information, knowledge management, archives and records management to co-fund and lead this important survey.
“The findings are significant, and will inform both our collective work as a Consortium and our individual leadership role as organisations. We aim to maintain and grow this activity in the years to come, helping to ensure that the information professions can plan for the future based on robust evidence.”
John Chambers, Chief Executive of the Archives and Records Association (UK and Ireland) noted:
“As one of the co-convenors of the consortium alongside CILIP we thought it was vital to relook at workforce data post COVID-19 to understand the new landscape of work in our sector. There are many things in the initial findings which reinforce what we already knew anecdotally. We plan to examine the granular detail of the data more closely to see what actions we can take to improve on some of the areas highlighted as deficient – diversity being the most obvious example.”
This new 2023 survey builds on the previous workforce mapping published in 2015 by CILIP and ARA and lays the groundwork for future Workforce Mapping surveys co-funded by the consortium.
In addition to CILIP, the UK Information Workforce Data Consortium consists of:
- Archive & Records Association (ARA)
- Culture Division of the Welsh Government (MALD).
- Historic Environment Scotland
- Information & Records Management Society (IRMS)
- Libraries Connected
- NHS England
- Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC)
- The National Archives (TNA)