| Related Jobs |  | Health Educator |
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| Job Outlook | | Employment of writers and editors is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2016. The outlook for most writing and editing jobs is expected to be competitive, because many people with writing or journalism training are attracted to the occupation.
Employment of salaried writers and editors for newspapers, periodicals, book publishers, and nonprofit organizations is expected to increase as demand grows for these publications. Magazines and other periodicals increasingly are developing market niches, appealing to readers with special interests. Businesses and organizations are developing newsletters and websites, and more companies are experimenting with publishing materials directly for the Internet. Online publications and services are growing in number and sophistication, spurring the demand for writers and editors, especially those with Web experience. Advertising and public-relations agencies, which also are growing, should be another source of new jobs.
Opportunities should be best for technical writers and those with training in a specialized field. Demand for technical writers and writers with expertise in specialty areas, such as law, medicine, or economics, is expected to increase because of the continuing expansion of scientific and technical information and the need to communicate it to others. Developments and discoveries in the law, science, and technology generate demand for people to interpret technical information for a more general audience. Rapid growth and change in the high-technology and electronics industries result in a greater need for people to write users’ guides, instruction manuals, and training materials. This work requires people who are not only technically skilled as writers, but also familiar with the subject area.
In addition to job openings created by employment growth, some openings will arise as experienced workers retire, transfer to other occupations, or leave the labor force. Replacement needs are relatively high in this occupation; many freelancers leave because they cannot earn enough money.
Writers and editors held about 306,000 jobs in 2006. More than one-third were self-employed. Writers and authors held about 135,000 jobs; editors, about 122,000 jobs; and technical writers, about 49,000 jobs. About one-half of the salaried jobs for writers and editors were in the information sector, which includes newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers; radio and television broadcasting; software publishers; motion picture and sound-recording industries; Internet service providers, Web search portals, and data- processing services; and Internet publishing and broadcasting. Substantial numbers also worked in advertising and related services, computer systems design and related services, and public and private educational services. Other salaried writers and editors worked in computer and electronic product manufacturing; government agencies; religious organizations; and business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations. |
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| More Information | | Society for Technical Communication, Inc., Newspaper Guild-CWA, National Association of Science Writers |
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| References | | Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Writers and Editors, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos089.htm
National Association of Science Writers, on the Internet at: http://www.nasw.org/csn/sciwri.htm
O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at
http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/27-3042.00 |
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