A lot of the news regarding media and employment prospects in 2011 has been bleak- layoffs, cutbacks, job-killing mergers- but one sector is doing pretty well.
It seems a lot of the casualties of media downsizing struck out on their own, made lemonade and all that, and may be doing better than they were in old media jobs. Mediabistro linked to the results of a small survey by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) that indicates overall, salaries have risen in 2011 over 2010- jumping from $25-30K on average to $30-35K.
Kevin Noblet, SABEW’s president and a managing editor at Dow Jones Newswires, commented on the encouraging findings from the (albeit tiny) survey:
“These results are encouraging for business journalists who rely on various media organizations for a living. It confirms that industry conditions are improving, helping freelancers across the country.”
And while several freelancers took a cut pay-wise, many still said they would not trade freelance freedom for heading back to the newsroom. The survey indicated:
Nearly seven out of every 10 freelance business journalists said they would not return to full-time work, citing their flexible work schedule (48.6 percent), working for multiple organizations (22.9 percent) and working from home (20 percent) as reasons. Three-fourths of those who responded to the survey said they worked full-time before becoming a freelancer.
You can read the full statement here.
