UNITY 2009 Layoff Tracker Report shows sharp quarterly spikes in job losses

MCLEAN, Va.  — Since the Lehman Bros. collapse last September, the journalism industry lost jobs at almost three times the rate of jobs lost in the economy each month.

UNITY’s 2009 Layoff Tracker Report shows an average 22% increase in journalism jobs lost each month from September 2008 through August 2009. In contrast, the economy shed jobs at an average pace of plus 8% each month during the same period.

“The news industry has been hemorrhaging jobs long before the economic crisis began last year,” said Onica N. Makwakwa, executive director of UNITY. “These numbers confirm that the economic downturn has hit the news industry very, very hard.”

The news industry has shed 35,885 since Sept. 15, 2008, and 46,599 jobs since UNITY began tracking job losses on Jan. 1, 2008.

Industry layoffs hit a peak in December 2008 when 7,398 jobs were lost. Since January 2008, 201 media outlets have closed.

UNITY data also shows sharp spikes during periods when quarterly financial reports from public media companies come due.

“As the news industry shapes a new future and companies battle the financial storm, it’s important to remember that it’s about people too,” said Makwakwa.

UNITY urges news media companies to redouble their retraining efforts to assist staff in making the transition to the new media world.

UNITY began the Layoff Tracker project in January 2008 in response to the increase in layoffs in the journalism industry. The report is compiled from SEC filings and self-reported data from 1,101 print and broadcast media outlets. It includes jobs lost in layoffs and buyouts, as well as by attrition.

UNITY Layoff Tracker 2009 Report (1.7MB PDF, requires the free Adobe Reader.)

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Contact: Onica Makwakwa
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc.
(703) 854-3585

About UNITY: Journalists of Color
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. is a strategic alliance advocating news coverage about people of color, and aggressively challenging its organizations at all levels to reflect the nation’s diversity. UNITY, representing more than 10,000 journalists of color, is comprised of four national associations: Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

In addition to planning the largest regular gathering of journalists in the nation, UNITY develops programs and institutional relationships that promote its mission. For more information on UNITY, visit www.unityjournalists.org, email info@unityjournalists.org or call (703) 854-3585.