The State of the Job Market for Writers and Editors

It’s no secret that the U.S. job market is dismal right now. Editing and writing have suffered as much as other fields, if not more.

When times get tight, companies start to skimp on editors and writers. Our work can often be done easily by freelancers, so it’s not unusual for us to be the first ones fired and the last ones rehired. Sadly, some companies stop editing their publications entirely because they just can’t (or won’t) spend the money.

Full-Time Jobs

The few salaried jobs that do exist for writers and editors are paying decently, from what I’ve seen. Not great, but OK.

The trick would be landing one of these scarce positions. In an economy like this, one’s odds of getting a writing or editing job by answering an advertisement are pretty slim. You pretty much have to know someone or have some other “in.”

Personally, I interviewed for six full-time editing jobs between January and April 2010. Number of call-backs: Zero. I felt lucky to get such a high number as six interviews, since I had applied for no fewer than 92 jobs during that time period.

Freelance/Contract Jobs

Freelance and contract writing/editing gigs have been hit hard too. There is work to be had, not least because many companies hire freelancers in lieu of hiring new permanent staff while they wait for the economy to improve.

Wages aren’t great, though, because the current supply of jobless writers and editors far exceeds the demand. It’s an employer’s market.

Outsourcing

Some companies are starting to outsource writing and editing work offshore. At best, this drives down wages at home. At worst, it prices U.S. freelancers out of the market completely.

Take TextBroker, for instance, an online service that offers pay in the range of $7.00 for an original, researched, error-free 500-word article. And they aren’t the only ones.

Many editors are angry and disturbed about their jobs being outsourced to developing countries. A common thought: “It’s one thing to outsource factory work. But communications work? Come on. People in Country X don’t even speak English as their native language. How could they possibly write or edit as well as a native speaker could?”

But the language barrier didn’t stop the call centers. Apparently it isn’t stopping some publishers either.

You Want to Pay What?

A sampling of recent Chicago Craigslist job postings in the “Writing/Editing” section:

• “L---- is a fast-growing content site with useful articles in channels devoted to a variety of popular topics… Pay is per article (generally $20 for a 650+ word article) and work is part-time, but we ask writers to commit to creating up to 20 articles per month.”
• “I need a writer to help write high-quality product reviews… Each assessment will be approximately 200-300 words in length… Compensation is $6 per completed post, to be paid biweekly by paypal.”
• “Editor for elderly author… Two or three 1 or 1 and 1/2 hour meetings a week with author… $11 per hour.”

· … And many other ads from companies that want to pay experienced writers/editors less than they could earn working at Starbucks. Many look to hire unpaid interns, a classic money-saving move.

Nice Work, If You Can Get It...

And if you get it, won’t you tell me how? Please comment and describe how the economy has affected your work. What trends have you seen?