Fewer journalists but more publishers in the EU: Is AI to blame for the shift?

The latest Eurostat information connected nan media assemblage paints a mixed picture.

The number of authors, journalists, and linguists successful nan EU is going down, but nan complaint of publishers is increasing significantly.

While nan number of professionals dropped by 2.5% compared to 2022, publishing companies person grown by 9%.

Portugal's media companies saw nan largest description , pinch a 7.3% increase, followed by Malta (7.1%), France (6.5%), and Bulgaria (3.6%).

France, however, remains—by far—the state pinch nan astir publishers: astir 24,000.

Yet nan state has mislaid astir 13% of its media professionals since 2022.

Journalists are turning to bartending and deliveries to make ends meet

New research conducted successful 33 European countries shows that astir 60% of journalists are experiencing burnout symptoms amid financial instability, administrative burdens, deficiency of societal benefits, layoff fears, and concerns complete nan effect of AI connected their profession.

There are now less than 870,000 workers successful this section successful nan EU, including linguists and authors.

According to data, this is simply a peculiarly troubled clip for freelancers, arsenic 62% are forced to find different sources of income to make ends meet.

Some move to nationalist relations (37%), others to school (34%) aliases trading (19%), according to nan TikTok and Display Europe report. The study besides shows that location are those resorting to alternatives for illustration "bartending, existent estate, and parcel delivery."

Despite this and nan challenges faced by journalists, 65% of respondents judge they will still beryllium employed successful publicity successful nan adjacent 5 years.

The business extends acold beyond nan continent, arsenic journalists aren't nether unit only successful Europe. Another research, conducted successful America successful 2024 by Muck Rack, showed that 53% considered quitting owed to exhaustion and burnout.

AI lowering introduction barriers to nan media market

It is unclear whether nan emergence successful caller media companies has been substantially influenced by AI; however, nan World Economic Forum, successful its study "AI successful Media, Entertainment and Sport", claims artificial intelligence has contributed to lowering marketplace introduction barriers for illustration method skills and investments successful this sector.

At nan aforesaid time, though, different studies propose that immoderate newsrooms are reluctant to adopt AI.

"Although businesses person made immoderate advancements, nan implementation of captious integer technologies, specified arsenic AI and Big Data, remains limited," says a studyby nan University of Athens, which analysed countries for illustration France, Cyprus, Greece, and Portugal.

Portugal, successful particular, reported nan sharpest autumn successful nan number of journalists, authors,nd linguists successful nan Eurostat dataset: -28%.

The Netherlands besides mislaid a important portion: -17.1%, pinch Austria pursuing adjacent astatine -15.4%. On nan different hand, numbers skyrocketed successful Luxembourg (+67.6%), Latvia (+43.5%) and Lithuania (+24.1%). 

In wide terms, Germany leads by acold for nan number of professionals, astir 240,000 successful nan field, measurement up of second-placed France, pinch less than 93,000, followed by Spain (74,200), Italy (72,300), and Poland (69,600).