Photo: Groundswell Arts - Lullabies in Schools and The Family Jam

Annually, we collect workforce the diversity data of our Staff, Trustees and Freelance team. This report below provides an overview of our workforce diversity monitoring data as of 31 March 2025. For this report, 93% of staff provided at least some diversity data.This helps us to understand the diversity of the people we work with, and how this has changed in response to actions we’ve taken. It also informs our priorities for the coming year. 

Youth Music's workforce diversity report covers gender, trans identity, sexual orientation, age, working-class background and identity, ethnicity, religion, disability, neurodivergence and caring responsibilities.

Methodology

Throughout our recruitment process, we collect diversity data (also known as Equal Opportunities data) from individuals applying for roles at Youth Music, including freelance positions, internships, staff roles and board positions. We also conduct annual data collection with our staff team and Board of Trustees. 

We are a small team of 40, including Board members, so it's important to assess long-term over short-term change. Collecting workforce diversity data gives us an opportunity to identify patterns over time. Part of our analysis is comparing our workforce to London working age population data (our office is based in Southwark), which helps us to understand which communities are underrepresented. We also compare to broader UK workforce demographics where this isn't possible.

We review our workforce data after each recruitment round, during leadership meetings, and annually as a staff team through the IDEA Working Group. To proactively address identified gaps, we regularly review our targets for future recruitment cycles. Each job pack is accompanied by a statement that encourages applications from members of specific backgrounds and communities, and is updated to reflect current need.

The data within this report represents our staff team including the Board of Trustees. Read more about our Staff and Trustees here on our Team page.

Language

Some of the language and question methodology we use in our workforce diversity data collection has changed. 

In summer 2024, we launched a project to review and update the language we use across our diversity data collection processes. We wanted to understand what inclusive language looks like in practice, and how to build a system that better reflects people’s identities and lived realities. This Language Project is part of the staff-led IDEA Working Group’s Language Series.

Read about our methodology and approach here: One box isn't enough - How we're rethinking diversity data at Youth Music.

• This analysis is of data collected February 2025. The survey received 40 responses, which is an 93% response rate.

• Three-fifths or 60% of the team identify as women. This majority is consistent across the wider team, and consistent with past years’ data.

• We’ve changed the way we collect data about sexual orientation, so results this year are not directly comparable with previous years. However, on an aggregate level, 35% of the team identify as being within the LGTBQ+ community. 33% of the wider team, including freelancers, identify within the LGBTQ+ community.

• Over half of the team are aged 34 and under, consistent with last year.

• We’ve updated our approach to collecting data on class. We retained the self-identification question and changed the language from “from a lower socio-economic background” to “from a working class background”. Just under half of the team (45%) identify as coming from a working class background.

• 30% of the staff team are of the Global Majority, 27% including freelancers. For three years in a row the whole team has not had representation of the Asian/Asian British community.

• Majority non-religious (70%) staff team, consistent with last year.

• A fifth of the team identify as Disabled (20%), consistent with the two previous years.

• A continued increase in staff identifying as neurodivergent to almost half of the team (45%).

• Around a quarter of the team have caring responsibilities (23%).

GENDER - Which of the following best describes you?

Gender identity of the staff team. Majority woman-identifying team.

We have a majority woman-identifying staff team. This majority is consistent with previous years. 

We are seeking to understand somebody’s gender, not their sex assigned at birth, and so the term woman/man over female/male is more appropriate for the question we’re asking in Youth Music’s form.

2024 - 40 respondents

TRANS Status - Do you consider yourself to be Trans?

Trans identity within our team. 3% of our team identify as trans, consistent with previous years.

No change compared to previous years. 

2024 - 40 respondents

Sexual orientation - Which of the following best describes your sexual orientation?

From 2024 onwards, individuals can choose multiple categories. 2020–2023 data provided for reference, as they’re not directly comparable.

From 2024 onwards, individuals can choose multiple categories. 2020–2023 data is provided for reference, as they’re not directly comparable. On an aggregate level, 35% of the team identify as being within the LGTBQ+ community.

2024 - 40 respondents

Age - Which age bracket do you fit in?

Age of staff. Over half of the team are aged 34 and under, consistent with last year.

48% of our staff team are between the 25 and 34 age bracket. Over half of the team are aged 34 and under, consistent with last year.

2024 - 40 respondents

Socio-economic background - What was the occupation of your main household earner when you were aged about 14?

59% of staff come from a professional background, 26% from an intermediate and 15% from a working class background.

We’ve updated the questions we use to measure socio-economic background and understand working-class representation on our team. We pair this question with self-identification, which is consistent with our wider approach to collecting diversity data.

An individual’s socio-economic background is defined by their highest earning parent’s occupation, according to the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS‑SEC). See further detail about this question and its context on the Social Mobility Commission.

2024 - 40 respondents

Self-description - Compared to people in general, would you describe yourself as coming from a working class background?

Working class identity at Youth Music. 45% identify as coming from a working class background.

Language change from “from a lower socio-economic background” to “from a working class background”. Just under half of the team identify as coming from a working class background.

2024 - 40 respondents

Ethnicity - Please select the ethnicity that best represents you. As you make your decision, please think about what ethnic group means to you: that is, how you see yourself. Your ethnicity is a mixture of culture, religion, skin colour, language and the origins of yourself and your family. It is not necessarily the same as nationality.

Ethnic backgrounds of the Youth Music team. 30% of the staff team are of the Global Majority.

30% of the staff team are of the Global Majority.

2024 - 40 respondents

Religion - What is your religion/faith if any?

Religion and faith. Majority non-religious staff team, consistent with last year.

The vast majority of staff team are non-religious. No significant change compared to previous years.

2024 - 40 respondents 

Disability - The Equality Act 2010 defines a person as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment, which has substantial and long term (i.e. has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months) negative effect on their ability to carry out normal daily activities. Do you consider yourself to have a disability according to this definition?

A fifth of the team identify as Disabled.

Almost a quarter (23%) of staff identify as Disabled, the largest ever proportion.

2022 - 30 respondents

Neurodivergence - Do you consider yourself to be neurodivergent? (e.g. ADHD, Dyslexic)

45% of staff identify as neurodivergent. Continuous increase in staff identifying as neurodivergent.

Just under half of staff (45%) consider themselves to be neurodivergent, which is an ongoing increase. 

2024 - 40 respondents

Caring responsibilities - you have caring responsibilities? (e.g. children living at home, providing care for a relative, partner or friend)

Around a quarter of the team have caring responsibilities, consistent with last year.

Around a quarter of the team have caring responsibilities. No significant change compared to the previous year.

2024 - 40 respondents

More information

Download the Workforce Diversity Report (2024)
Download the Equal Opportunities Survey (2025)