Number of TV writing jobs drops by 42% after Writers Guild strike: report

Television writing jobs dropped by 42 percent in the 2023–24 season, according to new job statistics released by the Writers Guild of America, marking a sharp decline in employment across all levels of TV writing. The drop comes after the Writers Guild strike in 2023.

A report from The Hollywood Reporter detailed the findings, noting that the season saw 1,819 fewer TV writing jobs compared to the previous year. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry employed more writers to the 2023–24 total.

The biggest losses were seen among senior-level writers, with 642 jobs eliminated at the co-executive producer level and above. Lower-level positions such as staff writer, story editor, and executive story editor were also hard hit, with a 46 percent decline, or 378 fewer jobs. Mid-level roles like co-producer and supervising producer declined by 299 jobs, or 42 percent.

The WGA cited the decline in cable television and corporate greed as the main factors.

“With an industry in transition — cable TV subscriptions and cable programming declining, a massive run-up and then pullback in streaming series as Wall Street demands quicker streaming platform profits — the number of TV jobs has declined,” WGA’s report said. It also said the “studios’ prolonged unwillingness to negotiate a fair deal in 2023” was also a factor.

The 2023 WGA writers' strike, which lasted from May to September, along with the SAG-AFTRA strike from July to November, also disrupted scripted production. The Directors Guild of America reached an agreement with media companies, but many shows scaled back or canceled entirely. As a result, 37 percent fewer WGA-covered episodic series aired during the season.

The report was sent to WGA Members on Friday by the WGA West Board of Directors and WGA East Council in an email that was obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. It read, “Writing careers have always been difficult to access and sustain, but the contraction has made it especially challenging.”

The email continued, “We are all subject to the decisions of the companies that control this industry, who have pulled back spending on content based on the demands of Wall Street. Compounding that, the current administration seems intent on causing economic chaos and undermining our democracy.”

The report also pushed back on the perception that the film industry is faring better. While the number of WGA-covered films has remained steady in recent years, the number of screenwriters working on those projects is down 15 percent, with earnings down 6 percent.