Major questions about journalists in Portugal: Precarity, low wages, gender gap and early retirement Miguel Crespo assistant researcher @ ISCTE-IUL
miguelicrespo@gmail.com
@European Federation of Journalists meeting, Lisbon, 06/06/2018
A major survey on journalists and journalism
Main goals: ď‚š analyze the working conditions of Portuguese journalists ď‚š know the diversity of journalists profiles ď‚š identify the main constraints and challenges
Survey consisting of 78 questions Answered by almost 1500 journalists (validated) Between May 1 and June 13, 2016
A major survey on journalists and journalism
What we are going to characterize: Who are the surveyed journalists
What is their professional daily life Under what conditions they work What affects their performance
Journalists with a professional license or equivalent in Portugal: 6161 (official data from CCPJ, March 16th, 2018)
Distribution by sex (survey): • 51.8% men • 48.2% women
A major survey on journalists and journalism
We also questioned the Portuguese journalists on the future, using the same questions has the study Journalists' Perceptions of the Future of Journalistic Work, coordinated by Robert G. Picard for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Doing that, we can compare Portugal and other western countries.
In the RISJ study, 509 Western journalists were surveyed on four main subjects: • how will it be • what competencies will be required • what rewards • and what implications
Professional and contractual status
Of the journalists surveyed in 2016: 87.5% were working
7.9% were unemployed 2.2% were retired
33.4% didn’t have a formal contract This group includes: • employees (16.4%) • Freelancers (17%)
2% were in an internship
The employment contracts of the journalists were mainly from 35 to 40 hours per week (64.7%).
2/3 of the journalists had an employment contract: • 56.3% had a permanent contract • 10.5% had a fixed term contract
Professional and contractual status
Almost 65% of employment contracts is up to 40 hours a week, but: 60.7% work more than 40 hours of which 13.8% have a work week of 51 to 60 hours and 9% work more than 60 hours Of the full-time journalists, only 29.6% work the number of hours defined in the employment contract.
• only 3.9% are paid for overtime • 10.2% are compensated in rest time • 63.4% do not have any compensation 25.8% of journalists work for more than one media within the same group • from these, more than two-thirds (66.8%) do not receive extra remuneration for this work
Professional and contractual status: the journalists perceptions
Working as a journalist will be increasingly precarious and uncertain Almost 90% believe that there will be a progressive labor degradation in journalism
100% 90% 80% 70% 60%
50% 40%
49,0% 40,4%
30% 20% 8,0%
10%
1,9%
0,7%
Discordo
Discordo totalmente
0% Concordo totalmente
internationally 71% agree
Concordo
Nem concordo nem discordo
Fonte: “Inquérito aos Jornalistas CIES-IUL/SJ 2016”. Edição: OberCom. n=1238.
Professional and contractual status: the journalists perceptions
Journalists are not satisfied with the evolution of working conditions in the last 5 years 77.9% are dissatisfied, and 48.8% are extremely dissatisfied Only 11% say they are satisfied, and only 1.9% are extremely satisfied Career progression and salaries are two areas with great dissatisfaction 65.2% were dissatisfied with career progression and only 19.7% expressed satisfaction About the wages: 63.6% are not satisfied, and 33.2% of those are extremely dissatisfied There are 25.3% of journalists satisfied with their salary
Professional and contractual status: the journalists perceptions
Labor stability shows large divisions in the satisfaction of journalists: ď‚š 20.8% are extremely dissatisfied, but there are 25.2% relatively satisfied. ď‚š Overall, dissatisfaction is smaller (38.9%), compared to satisfaction (48.2%)
The level of satisfaction with irregular working schedules and excessive working hours does not present very definite trends, with convergence for more neutral responses. ď‚š However, 17.7% are extremely dissatisfied working schedules, which can not be ignored.
Unemployment and second jobs
A large percentage of journalists surveyed have already experienced unemployment (39.2%), but the return to journalism was not as complicated as might be expected. Of the more than 500 respondents who were already unemployed, almost two-thirds (63.4%) found employment in less than a year, of which 32% in less than six months. 16.5% have other payed activities in parallel with journalism. Of these:
one third (33.7%) develop teaching or training activities 25.9% is linked to trade or services 13.5% in linked to writing, reviewing or translating
Union and professional organizations: the journalists perceptions Should the journalists be linked to a professional association representing the interests of journalism and journalists?
For almost 2/3 this is important or very important
100%
90% 80% 70% 60%
50%
43,3%
40% 30% 20%
24,3%
20,1%
10,8%
10%
internacionally 49% disagree
1,6%
0% Concordo totalmente
Concordo
Nem concordo nem discordo
Discordo
Fonte: “Inquérito aos Jornalistas CIES-IUL/SJ 2016”. Edição: OberCom. n=1216.
Discordo totalmente
The majority earns less than 1000 euros per month More than two-thirds (69%) of journalists received in 2016 between € 501 and € 1,500 net per month.
The distribution is quite large: 23.3% receive between 1001 and 1500 euros 21.8% earn less than 700 euros
23.9% is in the range 701-1000 euros If we set the 1000 euros as the dividing point, we find that 57.3% earn less, despite the average net monthly income being 1113 euros.
The majority earns less than 1000 euros per month 40%
Only 19.4% of journalists receive more than 1500 euros monthly.
35% 30% 25%
At the opposite extreme we have 11.6% of journalists who receive less than 500 a month. • Of these, 7% do not even earn 300 euros.
21,8%
23,9%
23,3%
20% 15% 10,8%
10% 5%
7,0% 4,6%
3,6%
0%
Gráfico 4: Remuneração média mensal em 2016 (por escalões, em euros) Fonte: Inquérito aos Jornalistas CIES-IUL/SJ 2016 (n=1344). Fonte: Inquérito aos Jornalistas CIES-IUL/SJ 2016 (n=1344).
5,0%
The majority earns less than 1000 euros per month
Remuneration and benefits will decrease for most journalists more than 80% agree that wages and other benefits will decrease
100% 90% 80% 70%
60%
53,2%
50% 40% 30%
30,3%
20%
12,4%
10%
3,2%
0%
internacionally 60% agree
Concordo totalmente
Concordo
Nem concordo nem discordo
Discordo
Fonte: “Inquérito aos Jornalistas CIES-IUL/SJ 2016”. Edição: OberCom. n=1238.
0,8% Discordo totalmente
The majority earns less than 1000 euros per month
The conclusions of JosĂŠ LuĂs Garcia and Paquete de Oliveira in 1994 apply in full in 2017: In conclusion, except for a well-paid elite, journalism is an activity whose financial compensation falls short of the expectations of most of its professionals. (...) At the other extreme lies a group of journalists consisting basically of trainees, false freelancers and external colaborators, usually at the beginning of their careers, who have the lowest salaries and often unstable situations in the companies in which they work. (Garcia & Oliveira, 1994).
Men vs. Women: gender inequality
Men
Women
4 or 5 years graduation
34%
4 or 5 years graduation
54%
Communication sciences graduation
32%
Communication sciences graduation
49%
Employed Unemployed
85% 9%
Employed Unemployed
90% 6%
Contract without term
54% Contract without term
59%
Weekly working hours (41h to 50h)
33%
Weekly working hours (41h to 50h)
43%
Extremely dissatisfied with salary
30%
Extremely dissatisfied with salary
37%
I would choose the profession again
64%
I would choose the profession again
57%
Men vs. Women: gender inequality (monthly wages)
Men
Women
Less than â‚Ź 300
9,6
Less than â‚Ź 300
4,3
301 to 500
4,9
301 to 500
4,3
501 to 700
19,7
501 to 700
24,1
701 to 1000
21,0
701 to 1000
26,9
1001 to 1500
22,0
1001 to 1500
24,7
1501 to 2000
11,3
1501 to 2000
10,4
2001 to 2500
5,1
2001 to 2500
2,0
> 2500
6,5
> 2500
3,2
Autonomy and constraints
Journalists consider the free exercise of the profession very restricted, in particular by: the agenda (47.2%) the working conditions (43.6%) salary (43.5%) dealing with personal and family life (40.2%)
fear of losing the job (36.6%) Also, the journalists considered themselves little or nothing autonomous from the decisions of editorial managers (31.5%) or the board of directors (41%)
64,2% have thought about quitting journalism
The most expressed motivations are:
low income (21%) degradation of the profession (20.4%) contractual precariousness (14.3%)
These nearly two-thirds who have already thought about quitting the profession are a strong indication that the perception of journalists about the profession is more negative than positive.
39.2% have already been unemployed
Respondents are very divided about the possibility to lose their jobs: 35.1% consider that being unemployed is unlikely 40.9% consider it probable
15.7% say that unemployment is extremely likely in the short term
The probability of finding work on journalism again is very pessimistic: only 9.5% consider it likely to find a job in journalism again in less than 12 months 39.5% consider it extremely unlikely that this will happen out of a total of 80% who believe to be unlikely to return to the profession
39.2% have already been unemployed
Journalism will be a part-time for people supported by other activities
Almost half agree
100%
90% 80% 70%
60% 50% 40%
34,9%
32,4%
30% 20%
15,6%
13,6%
10%
3,5%
0% Concordo totalmente
Concordo
Nem concordo nem discordo
Discordo
Fonte: “Inquérito aos Jornalistas CIES-IUL/SJ 2016”. Edição: OberCom. n=1239.
Discordo totalmente
So we can conclude…
87.5% were working
33.4% didn’t have a formal contract 60.7% work more than 40 hours only 3.9% are paid for overtime 90% thinks working as a journalist will be increasingly precarious and uncertain
So we can conclude…
63.6% are not satisfied with the wages 16.5% have other payed activities
69% of journalists receive between € 501 and € 1,500 net per month 57.3% earn less than € 1,000 11.6% of journalists receive less than € 500 80% think that wages and other benefits will decrease
So journalism is an activity whose financial compensation falls short of the expectations of most of its professionals
So we can conclude…
Women are more educated Women work more hours Women are less than half in higher positions Women are less than half in wages over €2,000
Women are less satisfied
So we can conclude…
Many consider themselves little or nothing autonomous Many consider the free exercise of the profession very restricted
64,2% have thought about quitting journalism 39.2% have already been unemployed If unemployed, 80% believe to be unlikely to return to the profession
For almost 2/3, professional association is important!
Major questions about journalists in Portugal Thank you
Miguel Crespo assistant researcher @ ISCTE-IUL
miguelicrespo@gmail.com