The Human Impact

The Job Losses

The motion picture sector in LA employed around 117,000 people in October 2023, down from ~142,000 before the strikes — a loss of 25,000 jobs (–17%) during the stoppages.

By late 2024, employment has inched up with production's resumption, but data suggests only about one-quarter of the strike-induced job losses have been recovered as of Q1 2025.

This means thousands of industry workers remain out of work or under-employed. Many have made tough choices — leaving LA, changing careers, or burning through savings while waiting for the rebound.

Crew members — the hourly or daily workers who are the backbone of production — traditionally have feast-or-famine cycles. But 2023's famine was record-breaking.

Many crew went over six months without any income from production. Union emergency relief funds activated. Some veterans started selling belongings or taking out loans just to survive.

• Art Directors Guild: 75% of members unemployed
• Teamsters drivers: Similar dire numbers reported
• IATSE locals: Emergency relief funds overwhelmed
• MPTF and charities: Provided grants for basic needs

"Survive 'til '25"

The phrase became a grim mantra among crew, hoping that by 2025 things would normalize. For many, it was about literal survival.

A prop maker profiled by LA Times was trying to make ends meet by selling vintage furniture online. A dolly grip's family cut expenses to the bone. These stories were common across crafts.

The solidarity of the strikes built community, but the economic devastation was real and ongoing.

LA Times titled a piece "Hollywood's exodus: Why film and TV workers are leaving Los Angeles." The story described film workers who decided to move to cheaper states since work was slow anyway.

• One moved to Nashville to start a production company
• Another to Atlanta where their spouse found a job
• Many veterans considering career changes entirely

Los Angeles, with its high cost of living (housing especially), can be unforgiving during prolonged unemployment.

The Brain Drain Risk

If enough skilled workers leave, it could ironically hurt LA's ability to rebound — a crew shortage when productions return.

For now, there's still a large crew base eager for work in LA, but the trend bears watching. Survey data suggests a significant fraction of film crew were considering changing careers after the prolonged instability.

The mental health toll has been substantial too — industry hotlines reported increased calls, and anxiety about the future (Will AI make my job obsolete?) compounds the stress.

Looking Forward

The workforce has been battered by a pandemic shutdown and historic strikes in quick succession, on top of structural market shifts. Many are hanging on by a thread.

Yet they're also galvanizing — through union action, political lobbying for incentives, and personal reinvention (expanding skill sets, learning virtual production tools, etc.).

Hollywood's future depends on these people. The industry's reckoning has illuminated that while technologies and corporate strategies evolve, investing in the workforce's stability and well-being is crucial for long-term sustainability.