The data suggests limited progress has been made to address the diversity crisis highlighted in both the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Career and Salary Survey. Some 75.3% of the 4,463 respondents identify as white, down from 84.6% in 2021 and 88% in 2020.

By comparison, 12.2% of respondents identify as Asian (up from 4.1% of the sample in 2021), 5.1% as mixed race (4% in 2021) and 2.7% as black (up from 1.2% in 2021).

As in 2021, the sense of imbalance within the industry also applies to the socio-economic background of marketers and geographical split of roles, highlighting a continued bias towards London and the South East (56.8%).

The bias towards more than half of marketing roles being in London and the South East is important from both a racial diversity and socio-economic diversity perspective. While the 2021 Census is yet to report, the 2011 Census revealed 44.9% of people in London identified as white British and 14.9% as ‘other white’.

Office of National Statistics data from 2019, found London was the most ethnically and religiously diverse region in England and Wales, with 43.4% of people in the capital identifying as white British, 14.6% ‘other white’ and 7.9% as black African.

In this context, the Career and Salary Survey statistics suggest that ahead of the two-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, and the commitments made by brands to widen access to people from diverse backgrounds, a long-term focus is needed to address diversity within marketing.

While 22.6% of the sample identify as coming from a working class or skilled working class background, some 71% of marketers identify as coming from either a lower middle, middle or upper middle class background.

Furthermore, the data reveals a persistent skew within the marketing industry towards youth. Some 5.7% of respondents are classed as Gen Z (aged under 25) and 59.7% are millennials (aged 25 to 40), while 28.2% of the sample are classed as Gen X (aged 40 to 54) and 6% as baby boomers (aged 55 and over).

To get a better sense of the issues emerging over the past year, Marketing Week has spoken to a variety of marketers to get their views, with in-depth features to follow exploring the skills gap, changing team characteristics, the rise of hybrid working and how brands are dealing with the great resignation.

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