The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are investigating the decreasing number of Black, Asian and other minority races working in television before informing programme-makers about the glaring discriminate. Figures show that the number of Black, Asian and other minority groups working in the TV industry has fallen by 2000 in the last three years alone.
The EHRC have launched a new project to boost diversity on British screens, with government backing – by way of £130,000 - to inform commissioners and programme-makers in order to increase the diverse workforce.
The BBC and Channel 4 have both set diversity targets for broadcasting employees while ITV and Channel 5 have not. Channel 4 has set themselves a target of 20 per cent both on and off screen by 2020.
Ed Vaizey, Minister of State for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries said: “The EHRC guidance will be a welcome and timely way to support broadcasters as they take forward plans to improve diversity on television and I want to see progress being made not just in on screen diversity but also in recruitment to jobs behind the camera and in senior and professional roles in the industry.”
Research shows that in the television industry to date, the number of Black, Asian and other minority workers fell by 30.9 per cent between 2006 and 2012 - representing 5.4 per cent of the total broadcasting workforce, while the community accounts for 14 per cent of the British population.
