Fewer journalists but more publishers in the EU: Is it because of AI?
The latest Eurostat data on the media sector paints a mixed picture.
The number of authors, journalists, and linguists in the EU is going down, but the rate of publishers is growing significantly.
While the number of professionals dropped by 2.5% compared to 2022, publishing companies have grown by 9%.
Portugal's media companies saw the largest expansion, with a 7.3% increase, followed by Malta (7.1%), France (6.5%), and Bulgaria (3.6%).
France, however, remains—by far—the country with the most publishers: nearly 24,000.
Yet the country has lost around 13% of its media professionals since 2022.
New research conducted in 33 European countries shows that around 60% of journalists are experiencing burnout symptoms amid financial instability, administrative burdens, lack of social benefits, layoff fears, and concerns over the impact of AI on their profession.
There are now fewer than 870,000 workers in this field in the EU, including linguists and authors.
According to data, this is a particularly troubled time for freelancers, as 62% are forced to find other sources of income to make ends meet.
Some turn to public relations (37%), others to teaching (34%) or marketing (19%), according to the TikTok and Display Europe report. The report also shows that there are those resorting to alternatives like "bartending, real estate, and parcel delivery."
Despite this and the challenges faced by journalists, 65% of respondents believe they will still be employed in journalism in the next five years.
The situation extends far beyond the continent, as journalists aren't under pressure only in Europe. Another research, conducted in America in 2024 by Muck Rack, showed that 53% considered quitting due to exhaustion and burnout.
It is unclear whether the rise in new media companies has been substantially influenced by AI; however, the World Economic Forum, in its report "AI in Media, Entertainment and Sport", claims artificial intelligence has contributed to lowering market entry barriers like technical skills and investments in this sector.
At the same time, though, other studies suggest that some newsrooms are reluctant to adopt AI.
"Although businesses have made some advancements, the implementation of critical digital technologies, such as AI and Big Data, remains limited," says a studyby the University of Athens, which analysed countries like France, Cyprus, Greece, and Portugal.
Portugal, in particular, reported the sharpest fall in the number of journalists, authors,nd linguists in the Eurostat dataset: -28%.
The Netherlands also lost a significant portion: -17.1%, with Austria following close at -15.4%. On the other hand, numbers skyrocketed in Luxembourg (+67.6%), Latvia (+43.5%) and Lithuania (+24.1%).
In overall terms, Germany leads by far for the number of professionals, nearly 240,000 in the field, way ahead of second-placed France, with fewer than 93,000, followed by Spain (74,200), Italy (72,300), and Poland (69,600).
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