Even with the 2023 strikes in Hollywood’s rearview mirror, writers are still feeling the pinch.

On Friday, the Writers Guild of America released new job statistics highlighting recent declines in television-writing jobs across various levels of the hierarchy. Post-Peak TV, those at the peak of profession were the largest casualties (in numbers).

Of the 1,319 fewer TV writer jobs for the 2023-24 season (vs. 2022-23; pre-strikes), 642 jobs were lost — a decline of 40 percent — at the co-executive producer or higher (up to showrunner) level. Lower-level writers (staff writer, story editor, executive story editor) were the next most affected with 378 fewer jobs versus the prior season, down 46 percent. Mid-level positions (co-producer through consulting/supervising producer) declined by 299 (-42 percent).

All told, there were 1,819 television writing jobs last season, a 42 percent decline from the 2022-23 season. Last season’s numbers are far fewer than even the COVID season of 2019-20, which employed 2,722 writers.

Cord-cutters and corporate greed are to blame, the WGA says.

“With an industry in transition — cable TV subscriptions and cable programming declining, a massive run-up and then pullback in streaming series as Wall Street demands quicker streaming platform profits — the number of TV jobs has declined,” the WGA’s latest jobs report reads.

The report said the “studios’ prolonged unwillingness to negotiate a fair deal in 2023” was also to blame as it shortened the 2023-24 TV season.

The WGA writers strike ran from May to September 2023. The Directors Guild of America reached a deal with media companies, but actors also took to picket lines as the SAG-AFTRA strike ran from July to November. Seasons of scripted shows were trimmed and some pickups were canceled. Approximately 37 percent fewer WGA-covered episodic series aired in 2023-24, per the report.

The report was sent to WGA members Friday morning by the WGA West board of directors and WGA East council; The Hollywood Reporter obtained the email.

“Writing careers have always been difficult to access and sustain, but the contraction has made it especially challenging,” the email to members reads. “We are all subject to the decisions of the companies that control this industry, who have pulled back spending on content based on the demands of Wall Street. Compounding that, the current administration seems intent on causing economic chaos and undermining our democracy.”

Solid WGA data for the still-ongoing 2024-25 television season is still months away, the guild said. The WGA’s new contract with the studios should help employment bounce back — to some degree.

It’s not just about needing more jobs, though that’s certainly a part of the WGA’s current mission. The 2023 negotiations were an attempt to thwart downsizing, yes, but also about “ensuring that however many projects the companies make, the jobs are good ones,” a WGA spokesperson told THR for this story.

Lest writers think movies are a safe haven in this post-Peak TV period, they are not. Though the number of WGA-covered films has been pretty stable over the past few years, the number of screenwriters working is down 15 percent. Screenwriter earnings are down 6 percent.