WHAT IS THE EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK FOR WRITING JOBS?

Editors, freelance writers, technical writers and all others who find work in the writing industry are able to enjoy a relatively consistent level of overall demand for the services that they offer. Depending on the specific kind of writing job being considered, the exact industry outlook for the next few years may vary. The following are different employment outlook projections for some of the most popular writing jobs on the market.

Writers And Authors

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that writers and authors had a median pay rate of about $61,240 in 2016, equivalent to about $29.44 an hour. As far as education is concerned, entering the field at the entry level generally only necessitates a bachelor's degree. No experience in any related field is necessary to become a writer or author, though it can help in terms of credibility depending on the nature of what they write.

There may be some moderate training on job as an author, though like work-related occupations, this isn't necessary. In 2014, the BLS reported that there were 136,500 writer and author jobs. As far as the projected job growth goes, the BLS reports that its only about 2 percent - this is a fair bit slower than the average industry rate. At 2 percent its projected that the employment change for writers and authors would only be a slight bit over 3,000 in total.

Editors

The BLS reports that the annual median pay for editors was $57,210, equivalent to about $27.51 per hour. Like writers and authors, only a bachelor's degree is generally required in terms of the education required to move forward in the field successfully.

As far as work experience in related occupations is concerned, editors will generally have more than writers and authors do, but not a necessarily large amount. Editors will usually have a moderate amount of work experience in related field, but less than 5 years in total. No on-the-job training is generally required in order to see the job through.

In 2014, the BLS's report for the number of editing jobs was about 117,200 nationwide. In terms of the job growth rate for editors, the BLS reports that this figure is significant less than writers and author job growth.

Rather than being projected to rise by the year 2024, the BLS reports that editors will likely see more of an industry-wide job decline than job growth overall. The BLS reports that the job decline rate projected for editors is about -5 percent overall, signaling an employment change of -6,200 by the middle of the next decade.

Technical Writers

In 2016, the median pay for technical writers was about $69,850 a year at approximately $33.58 an hour. Like editors, writers and authors, a bachelor's degree is a sufficient starting point in terms of education for the profession.

Less than 5 years of work experience are required to set forth in the field, and a brief period of on-the-job training is the norm. The BLS reports tat the number of technical writing jobs was 52,000 in the year 2014.

While writers and authors have a below-average projected job growth rate and editors are expected to see declining jobs, technical writers were given a faster-than-average job growth rate of 10 percent by the year 2024 - this would signify an employment change of about 5,300 jobs in total.

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