Hachette UK has published its latest Ethnicity Pay Gap and Gender Pay Gap Reports as part of its ongoing commitment to transparency under ‘Changing the Story’, their programme of people, publishing, and partnerships to improve diversity and inclusion.

Kim Kidd, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Hachette UK, commented: “In 2022, representation of Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage and Minority Ethnic colleagues increased across the Hachette UK Group, along with the representation of women in our upper pay quartile. We are determined for these important changes to be better reflected in our pay gap data. Though the latest figures do not reflect the rate of change we want to see represented in our workforce, we remain committed to being actively accountable in creating systemic change at Hachette UK and in our industry.”

Ethnicity Pay Gap:

The median ethnicity pay gap figures for Hachette UK Ltd are 12.4%, with a 0.1% decrease and a 1.1% decrease for the Whole Group. The mean ethnicity pay gap figures for Hachette UK Ltd have increased by 0.5% to 18% since 2021.

The mean and median bonus gaps have improved from 2021 to 2022 for Hachette UK Ltd and for the Whole Group. Hachette UK Ltd’s mean bonus pay gap is 57.5% and the median 16.1%. The Whole Group’s mean bonus pay gap is 53.1% and the median 5.5%.

In 2018, in line with the Publishers Association Inclusivity Action Plan, Hachette UK pledged a Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage and Minority Ethnic representation target of 15% of the total group workforce within five years.

Representation in the Whole Group has increased by 56% since 2018. This is up from 7.7% at the April 2018 snapshot date when Hachette UK published its first report, to 12%, at the April 2022 snapshot date. Across Hachette UK Ltd, representation remains at 13%. Representation has improved in the lower and upper middle quartiles of the Whole Group, in the upper and lower middle quartiles of Hachette UK Ltd, and in all quartiles of Distribution.

Gender Pay Gap:

The median gender pay gap figure for Hachette UK Ltd is 17.7%, down from 18.1% in 2021. There has been a slight increase in both mean and median pay gaps across the Whole Group with a very slight upward fluctuation of half a percentage point in the mean Hachette UK Ltd pay gap gender figure between 2021 and 2022.

Since Hachette UK’s first Gender Pay Gap report in 2017, there has been a 28.4% reduction in the median pay gap for Hachette UK Ltd (from 24.7% to 17.7%).

For both Hachette UK Ltd and the Whole Group, the mean bonus pay gaps have reduced between 2021 and 2022. Hachette UK Ltd’s mean bonus pay gap is 59.4% and the median 17.3%. The Whole Group’s mean bonus pay gap is 51.6% and the median is 1.1%.

The number of men in the lower pay quartile has fallen across the Whole Group, and this impacts the mean and median pay gaps due to having a relatively greater proportion of men in the upper quartile, in contrast to the proportion of females employed in roles within the lower quartile.

In 2018, Hachette UK pledged that the then population of 66% women would be reflected in the upper pay quartile and, at 64.7%, 2022’s figure show the highest proportion since 2017. The makeup of the Hachette UK Board has also increased to nearly 60% women.

Live Action Plans:

Hachette UK has continued to implement its action plans to improve representation in the business and work towards reducing both the ethnicity and gender pay gaps.

These include: a productive and rewarding partnership with The Black Writers’ Guild; a virtual work experience programme with Springpod on the business of publishing for a thousand students aged 15 -18; six creative writing initiatives launched by ‘The Future Bookshelf’; the expansion of Hachette UK’s traineeship programme in partnership with Creative Access, Curtis Brown and Waterstones; the engagement of a new recruitment partner, Vercida, a careers platform with a strong commitment to diversity; launch of a Menopause policy and a Pregnancy and Baby Loss policy; the continued development and growth of Hachette UK’s national offices, making it possible to recruit and connect with the local creative network in five cities across the UK; and the re-launch of Hachette UK website, re-designed to better promote publishing as an industry that is accessible to all and to encourage the next generation of publishing professionals.

Last year, Hachette UK ranked in The Times’ Top 50 Employers for Women – the most widely respected award for employers committed to achieving gender equality for the third consecutive year.

In December 2022, Hachette UK announced a holistic review of its starting salary and holiday benefits, as well as an exceptional pay review for certain levels within the business, a performance-related bonus, and an additional cost of living payment.

The full versions of both the Ethnicity Pay Gap Report and the Gender Pay Gap Report can be found on the Hachette UK website.