Nearly half of the UK’s TV industry workforce are unemployed, a Bectu survey has found, with many having to seek work outside of the sector.
The union’s Big Bectu Survey 2025 found that 45% of those in TV drama, 46% of those in unscripted and 45% of those working in commercials were not working when it surveyed 3,621 people in March 2025. Nearly seven in 10 (68%) said they were struggling financially.
The long tail of the U.S. strikes remains a major issue. Just 11% of those working in unscripted, 10% of those in commercials and 17% of those working in TV drama said that they’ve seen a full recovery in their employment since the end of the industrial action nearly two years ago.
Bectu boss Philippa Childs described the findings as a “wake up call.”
“These findings lay bare the devastating impact of recent industry challenges compounded by years of insecure employment practices and poor conditions across much of the sector,” she added. “And on top of this, many TV workers face entrenched discrimination, bullying and harassment, propped up by huge power imbalances and a lack of independent and robust reporting mechanisms.”
On the latter point, more than six in 10 of those working in TV (61%) told the union that in the past year they had personally witnessed or experienced bullying or harassment in the workplace. Half of those incidents were not reported (48%), added Bectu.
Many workers have had to turn to getting work outside the sector to supplement their income.
Bectu’s research found that 29% of TV workers have another job outside of the creative industries to sustain themselves financially, while one third now say they will leave the industry in the next five years.
Nearly 90% of the TV workforce (those in broadcasting, unscripted, TV drama and commercials) feel their work is precarious.
The past year or so has been characterized by a big loss of opportunity in the UK TV industry due to the death of mid-budget programming. Broadcasters are tending to only commission cheaper shows in bulk or premium series that require specialist expertise. At the same time there has been a major shift in American spending since the strikes, which has led to what broadcasters have deemed a scripted funding crisis.
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