Another digital dividend – television jobs turnover at 25 year high

Michael Hedges April 17, 2008

The techno-geeks are winning, or at least they’re keeping their jobs. The digital dividend is also keeping content producers from changing, or losing, their jobs. Turnover in the television sector is highest in Western Europe and the US. But, of course, job turnover at the ‘elite’ level is less than half the rate of the rest of the sector.

Here comes Informa Telecoms with a worldwide study of television employment turnover. (See release with tables here) “The changes seem to have been prompted by the increasing rise of digital TV,” writes Informa researcher Adam Thomas. “Some 60 million homes worldwide changed from analogue to digital during 2007. This unprecedented level of transformation leaves the broadcast industry desperate for expertise across the business; whether it be technical skills for technology providers, or creative brilliance to help fill the increasing number of digital channels that need compelling content to outshine their competitors.”

Thomas notes the highest job turnover at the ‘intermediate’ level, five or so levels beneath Mr. Murdoch. These jobs – “administrative staff and junior executives” – are normally beset with people coming and going, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is age. But with such high levels of job turnover, to the mix of subjective reasons for the job churn add media organizations changing plans and structures trying to keep up with demands for change, not to forget the impatience of shareholders. The greatest job turnover is with channels and networks, over 35%.

And, too, the report shows the geographic divide within the digital dividend. The regions with the oldest business structures, Western Europe and North America, and, so far, the most money on the table show the highest employment turnover.  Contrast that with low job turnover in Eastern Europe (re-building) and the Middle East and Africa (building).

There is a decided lack of robust data on media employment in Europe. In 2003 a European Commission study estimated total media sector employment in the sector at about 1 million. A 2006 estimate of the ‘audiovisual’ sector (including the new Member States) put figure closer to 1.5 million. Aside from anecdotal evidence of job loss following media consolidation, the flow of employment seems to be a redistribution of labor toward independent producers and away from networks and individual channels.

The Monster Employment Index Europe, associated with online employment ad channel Monster.com, reports very robust growth in media sector (including marketing and PR) job offerings, particularly since the beginning of 2008.

There is, of course, another possibility behind the low job turnover reported among the techno-geeks. Since these folks generally labor away in basements and garages, maybe the HR people don’t know whether they’re working or not.