Edinburgh Napier University

  In 2014 the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) and the Archives and Records Association (ARA) made a call to commission a team to undertake a workforce mapping project. The purpose of this work was to enhance understanding of the UK workforce in Library, Archives, Records, Information Management, Knowledge Management and related professional roles. A team of six from Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Social Informatics and Employment Research Institute won the bid. The research was carried out between 2014 and 2015, with headline findings released at the end of 2015. Based on the statistical analysis of secondary data sources such as the UK Labour Force Survey, as well as responses to an online survey, a long-needed data baseline on the UK information workforce was established. Key findings of this work relate to an estimated population of 86,376 workers, their general demographics, qualifications and memberships and the diversity of the population as a whole. Of particular interest are the findings on pay differences and seniority according to gender, and the low ethnic diversity of the population surveyed. In this paper the methods deployed to in the research will be outlined, as well as its main findings, and the impact of the research to date.