The Results Are In! The 2024 Editorial Hiring Report
In this special issue I reveal the results of my annual survey about the state of the editorial and content industry right now. #editorsmakethebesthires
★ The Industry is at a crossroads. Word on the street is the economy is booming. But try telling that to editorial folk. The Talent Fairy surveyed 268 people working in editorial and content creation to tap into their state of mind this past year. (I refer to them all as “editors” here to simplify things.) We learned that pursuing a career in traditional media is more precarious than ever as beloved digital and print publications folded and layoffs topped what we saw in the pandemic. Thankfully, seeds of hope continue to be planted in adjacent industries like content marketing and brand publishing.
★ Editors are in flux. More respondents reported being out of work this year than any other in the five-year history of this survey. Nearly half (47%) said they were laid off from a full-time role in the last year, 20% were otherwise let go or left their full-time role voluntarily, and 20% were freelancers who lost all (!) of their work.
“I'm hopeful we'll see new, creative businesses launched by all the people who are currently out of work. There’s always a 'next big thing' around the corner.” — survey respondent
★ Editors continue to pivot out of traditional media. They report taking their editorial skills to content marketing (36%), brand publishing (24%), corporate communications (17%) and other content-based roles (23%), such as brand copywriting, e-commerce / affiliate marketing, social media, UX, audience development, or a combination. The biggest movement happened in 2022 when a third of survey respondents reported making the transition. This past year only 11% did. The slowdown was likely due to fewer opportunities and more layoffs, particularly in the tech industry which was hit hard at the start of 2023.
“Each passing year gives non-media companies more understanding of how they can use all of us talented editors and writers the traditional media industry created but can no longer support.” — survey respondent
★ Editors love legacy brands. We asked, If you could work anywhere, inside or outside of media, where would it be? High on last year’s list was Tesla, Calm, Food52, and The New York Times. This year, The NYT remained, but startups were overshadowed by legacy organizations. Some respondents didn’t provide one name, commenting that they’d work anywhere that “pays well,” has “growth potential,” and/or a “flexible work policy.”
“I was laid off from my fin-tech role after 6 months. Who knew I would’ve lasted longer in fashion than finance!” — survey respondent
★ We’ll survive AI. Despite the panic attack the world seems to be having over AI, editors lean optimistic. Most take a if-you-can’t-beat-‘em, join-’em approach to the new technology.
“I believe it is something we have to adapt to and master rather than fear. Using AI responsibly may enable editors to increase their skill set and productivity.” — survey respondent.
★ The future remains bright. As a group, editorial peeps are particularly good at predicting trends. Many told us that emerging opportunities outside of ad-supported media provide hope to grow their careers and their paychecks. More than half (55%) agreed with the statement, “There are more jobs for people with my skillset than there were three years ago.” Those who recently pivoted were effusive about how transferrable their skills are, saying editors “understand the customer,” “quickly pick up the brand voice,” “can translate the complex into the simple,” and “know how to caress words into art.” #editorsmakethebesthires
For more results of the 2024 Talent Fairy Hiring Report and a breakdown of who took the survey this year, visit thetalentfairy.com.
