Online-only publishers now employ more Americans than newspapers

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals there are now more Americans working for web-only publishing and broadcasting than for traditional newspapers. The tipping point was finally reached in October 2015, employment in the newspaper sector has fallen from a peak in June 1990 of 457,800 to just 183,200 in October 2015.

Employment in the internet publishing and broadcasting sector on the other hand is at an all-time high of 197,800 and has more than doubled over the last decade. Oddly enough, the data shows around 30,000 online publishing jobs for the early 1990s, which seems kinda high given how low Internet penetration was back then.

Employment in online content jumped to a temporary high of 112,000 by 2000 but shrunk by about half as a result of the dot com bubble burst. Jobs at newspapers are expected to continue to evaporate but many are also questioning the sustainability of online-only business models. Sufficient advertising dollars aren't easy to come by and an increasingly large number of readers are starving their favorite publications of advertising impressions. More details at NiemanLab.

Online-only publishing jobs picked up again in the late aughts, and continued to grow during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The number of jobs has more than doubled since then.

It’s safe to assume that newspaper jobs will continue to evaporate. Most small and mid-sized metro papers are struggling to find new revenue as print advertising and circulation decline and online advertising fails to make up the difference.

Via: [H]