Hachette US diversity increases among workforce, stalls in senior positions

In the US, Hachette Book Group (HBG) has published its latest report on how its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are progressing, reports Publishers Weekly.

Of HBG’s new hires in 2022, 61% identified as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of colour), increasing the overall percentage of BIPOC staff members in the HBG workforce to 36.4%. According to HBG, its workforce has grown more diverse every year, rising from 20.7% in 2012.

Despite the overall increase in BIPOC employees in the HBG workforce, progress has stalled among senior positions. At vice-president level and above, 17.9% of executives identified as BIPOC, the same as in 2021, while the director level decreased from 21.5% to 20.4%.

There has been a similar trend in the percentage of books acquired from BIPOC authors and illustrators. New and returning BIPOC authors and illustrators represented 24% of all book acquisitions in 2022, a 14% decline from 2021 but an increase of 20% over 2019.

Category: International news