NewsRescue
According to an employment report released on Friday by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the Hollywood scriptwriter and actor strike has cost the US entertainment industry 45,000 jobs since May.
According to calculations, the country’s film and television industry shed 7,000 jobs in September alone, after reporting 17,000 job losses in August.
The writers’ guild of America (WGA) began the strike on May 2 and was joined by the actors’ guild, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), in mid-July. Unions demanded higher compensation, increased royalties, and the formalisation of artificial intelligence’s involvement in the motion-picture business.
The strike caused a shutdown of most Hollywood films and was estimated to have cost the US economy $5 billion as of early September, affecting not only the film industry but also the many businesses that support it.
The WGA strike concluded in late September, with the union gaining many of its goals, including tougher controls on the use of artificial intelligence, hikes to the minimum pay and pension, higher health fund rates and residuals, and so on, in a settlement with the studios.
The actors’ action is still ongoing, with the parties unable to reach an agreement at the most recent meetings on Friday. The talks are set to resume on Monday.
Experts predict that Hollywood projects will begin soon once the SAG-AFTRA strike ends, and some have already returned to work since the writers’ guild ended their strike. Analysts warn, however, that it is uncertain whether the employment losses in the sector caused by strikes would be permanent, and what the consequences for the industry may be.
