Work to be done

The proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people working in UK museums has almost trebled in the 15 years from 1993 to 2008, according to a Museum Association survey. BAME employees rose from 2.5% in 1993 to 7% in 2008, hitting a high of 11% in national museums in 2006. However, during the same period the proportion of BAME people in the UK increased from 5.5% to 12%, and the 2001 Census data show that in London, where most national museums are located, around 30% of the population is non-white. The number of BAME people in collections-related jobs would need to more than double to represent the wider population, and the numbers in management jobs are even lower – in 2006, BAME staff occupied just 1.3% of posts.