The Writers Guild of America announced on that television writing jobs dropped by 42% during the 2023-2024 season. According to a new report, only 1,319 TV writing positions were available this past season, compared to 1,819 in 2022-2023. Of the 500-job decrease, 642 were lost at the senior level—co-executive producers and above, including showrunners—marking a 40% drop in those high-ranking roles.
Writers at the entry level—staff writers, story editors, and executive story editors—saw the next biggest reduction, with 378 fewer positions than the previous year, a 46% decrease. Mid-level roles such as co-producers, consulting producers, and supervising producers declined by 299 jobs, down 42%. Overall, the number of TV writing jobs fell sharply compared to last season, and the total is even lower than during the 2019-2020 pandemic season, which employed 2,722 writers.
The downturn in hiring coincides with a wave of show cancellations and series endings. Guild data shows that about 37% fewer episodic series covered by the WGA aired in 2023-24. The most significant job losses were seen at the showrunner and co-executive producer levels, with 642 fewer positions. Entry-level writing roles dropped by 378, while mid-level positions saw a decline of 299.
This steep decline comes in the wake of industry-wide labor disputes. The WGA went on strike from May through September 2023. While the Directors Guild of America reached an agreement with studios, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA also went on strike, which lasted from July to November. As a result, many scripted seasons were shortened, and some series pickups were scrapped. The number of WGA-covered scripted shows airing in 2023-2024 was down by roughly 37%, according to the report.