Nearly half of all workers in Britain’s TV industry are unemployed, according to new data from Bectu, the trade union that reps roughly 40,000 staff, contract and freelance workers in non-performance roles. 

Its annual Big Bectu Survey for 2025 notes that a substantial number of its members specializing in TV dramas (45%), unscripted (46%) and commercials (45%) were not working when the survey was conducted between February and March 2025. And there were 3,621 respondents. 

The data doesn’t break down animation or kids content, but it does paint a picture of what Bectu describes in a release as a “workforce on the brink”.

The US Hollywood strikes, which the industry is slowly recovering from, was a major factor contributing to the high unemployment levels, according to the survey. 

“This is a wake-up call,” said Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, in a release. “The industry must not stand by while the very people who make TV possible are pushed to the breaking point.”

The survey also addresses the troubling financial reality that many in the UK industry are living in. More than two-thirds of TV workers (68%) say they’re struggling to make ends meet. 

Drilling deeper into what this means, close to a third (29%) of TV workers have a second job outside of the industry to financially support themselves. And then there’s the ominous statistic that one-third of respondents say they’ll likely leave this line of work in the next five years. 

The industry is reeling from a wide-scale and deep commissioning drop, and that’s hurting workers across the UK’s TV business, says Greg Childs, a veteran of the industry and editorial director of UK trade event the Children’s Media Conference. “While I don’t have figures, I do have knowledge of companies going into liquidation, closing and laying off staff,” he says. 

CMC has also seen a decline in the number of freelancer attendees over the last two years. That’s a warning sign that these workers are struggling to find employment in the business, Childs notes. He adds that the UK industry is facing a “perfect storm” of challenges, like public service broadcasters cutting budgets and YouTube revenues not being enough to support the creators relying on it. 

Bectu’s data tracks with the very real challenges the UK industry is facing at the moment, agrees Brian Levine, head of media and entertainment at the highly ranked law firm Battens Solicitors. These roadblocks include smaller budgets, a dearth of greenlights and workers lacking job security. 

“It’s tricky getting anything commissioned from an indie producer standpoint, and generally workers in the industry are self-employed, which means they have to hop from job to job with no job security, and possibly no pension or other benefits,” says Levine. “From a legal perspective, we are working on some larger shows, and seeing very small development budgets for new material without established IP, which means no one can be paid that well for what is often a speculative venture that sometimes goes no further.” 

This echoes one of the most concerning stats in Bectu’s findings: Almost all of the respondents (a whopping 90%) say they feel their work is precarious. That includes those in broadcasting, unscripted, dramas and commercials.

“We all know senior executives who are now consultants,” adds Childs. “There have never been so many consultants in our industry! I personally heard from one mid-ranking person yesterday who was laid off many months ago and who is now being forced to consider working as a delivery driver.”

Image courtesy of Jovaughn Stephens via Unsplash