Good Morning: some sad figures From the Film and Tv industry: (from Screen Skills / The guardian / independent crew surveys)High Rates of Unemployment and Underemployment: Comprehensive industry surveys indicate that significant portions of the freelance screen workforce face persistent joblessness. Union and sector... Read more
Good Morning: some sad figures From the Film and Tv industry: (from Screen Skills / The guardian / independent crew surveys)
High Rates of Unemployment and Underemployment: Comprehensive industry surveys indicate that significant portions of the freelance screen workforce face persistent joblessness. Union and sector findings highlight that large blocks of crew members—frequently hovering between 45% to over 50% depending on the sub-sector—have reported being out of work at various peak checkpoints.
TVDrama: Around 45% to upwards of 50% of workers report periods of being out of work.
Unscripted TV: Hit particularly hard, with unemployment or lack of active contracts scaling past 57% in sector-specific surveys.
Commercials: Crew and support sectors report idle rates hovering around 45% to 53%.
Decline in Releases: According to data from UK screen training body ScreenSkills, the overall volume of UK-produced films and TV shows released dropped by 13% between 2022 and 2025 (with film volumes alone seeing an 8% decrease).
It’s not all doom and gloom - BUT I will admit from my own experience from 2024 onwards - I have noticed a huge lack of continuous work. To the point where I’ve had to take on a second job / ask family for financial support.
There seems to be a huge gap in help for middle / higher end talent in the industry RE: talent schemes, training to fill gaps and little to no support for personal development.
Has any one else experienced this? Working freelance we often feel like we are working in a vacuum - often too scared to admit that things aren't going well, based solely on how projecting any form of negativity equals a sign of failure / weakness.
#filmandtelevision #lgbt #lgbtfilmmaker #UKscreenindustry #HETV #mentalhealth
High Rates of Unemployment and Underemployment: Comprehensive industry surveys indicate that significant portions of the freelance screen workforce face persistent joblessness. Union and sector findings highlight that large blocks of crew members—frequently hovering between 45% to over 50% depending on the sub-sector—have reported being out of work at various peak checkpoints.
TVDrama: Around 45% to upwards of 50% of workers report periods of being out of work.
Unscripted TV: Hit particularly hard, with unemployment or lack of active contracts scaling past 57% in sector-specific surveys.
Commercials: Crew and support sectors report idle rates hovering around 45% to 53%.
Decline in Releases: According to data from UK screen training body ScreenSkills, the overall volume of UK-produced films and TV shows released dropped by 13% between 2022 and 2025 (with film volumes alone seeing an 8% decrease).
It’s not all doom and gloom - BUT I will admit from my own experience from 2024 onwards - I have noticed a huge lack of continuous work. To the point where I’ve had to take on a second job / ask family for financial support.
There seems to be a huge gap in help for middle / higher end talent in the industry RE: talent schemes, training to fill gaps and little to no support for personal development.
Has any one else experienced this? Working freelance we often feel like we are working in a vacuum - often too scared to admit that things aren't going well, based solely on how projecting any form of negativity equals a sign of failure / weakness.
#filmandtelevision #lgbt #lgbtfilmmaker #UKscreenindustry #HETV #mentalhealth
