New year, new hires? For some broadcasters that was the case, as the government reports employment across the broadcast industry grew compared to a year earlier. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 333,000 people were working in the sector, which includes radio, television and related content providers. That is up 1.8% from a month earlier, ending a string of several months of lower employment as companies implemented year-end budget cuts. Total broadcast employment is down 11,000 nationwide from a year ago, however. The BLS does not release radio-specific monthly tracking figures. Instead, it lumps the monthly radio data with television and other audio and video content providers.
It wasn’t just broadcasting that saw employee levels rise. The print sector has also seen its workforce gain ground with total employment in that sector increasing to 920,100 in January, up 2.5% from the prior month.
Employment in advertising, which has been climbing during the past two years, returned to growth last month, albeit marginally. BLS says 497,400 were working in advertising and public relations during January, up 0.3% from December when numbers dipped. Total broadcast employment was down 2,600 nationwide from a year ago. The all-time peak in advertising employment was reached in April 2024, when the total hit 523,800. In the month since, the BLS figures have fluctuated month-to-month between small gains and losses.
Overall, the BLS says total US nonfarm employment increased by 143,000 during January with gains in sectors like health care, retail trade, and social assistance, and the unemployment rate edged down to 4%. The government also revised upward its earlier job totals released in November by 49,000, plus a 51,000 upward revision to December’s employment level. With these revisions, employment in November and December combined is 100,000 jobs higher than previously reported.
In January, average hourly earnings for all employees increased by 17 cents, to $35.87. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.1%. And the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls slipped to 34.1 hours last month.
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