Los Angeles:
The Disappearing Movie Industry Jobs

May 18, 2026

There is a collapse in entertainment industry jobs in California, and nowhere do the workers feel the pain more than in Los Angeles, the historic center of the movie industry. By some estimates, available film production jobs in L.A. have gone down by 60% between 2021 and 2025.

Behind the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, the workers who make the movies have always endured job insecurity and unpredictable work hours. But today’s crisis seems deeper and longer-lasting. Thousands and thousands of workers needed to produce movies—carpenters, cameramen, light and sound technicians, writers, editors, animators and workers in many other classifications—are struggling to pay their bills and keep their homes. Many of them are working other jobs. Some are moving to other parts of the country—IF they can pick up and go, of course.

Commentators point out that the big Hollywood studios have moved production out of L.A., first to other states like New Jersey and Georgia, and then to other countries like Britain, Australia, Croatia and Hungary—because wages and production costs are lower there, and studios also get big handouts from the governments of those states and countries.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Film production has declined also because of conscious choices companies made. In the early 2020s, there was a boom in production when streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO Max, in competition with each other, were producing lots of TV series to sign up more and more subscribers. But once the customers and profits flowed in, the boom gave way to bust. The same companies shifted gears and sharply cut down the number of movies and shows they produce.

And sure enough, big studios’ profits are up. In fiscal year 2025, Disney reported a record operating income (profit before taxes) of 17.6 billion dollars. The company’s net profit was even more impressive: 12.4 billion dollars, a 250% increase from 2024! Netflix had a great year too, with an operating income of 13.3 billion dollars, 28% higher than in 2024. Warner Brothers’ 2025 operating income of 1.7 billion dollars may look modest in comparison, but it was still a 220% increase from 2024.

In this capitalist system, all decisions concerning production are made by a handful of big capitalists, just to increase their own profit. Workers will have job security only when capitalism is replaced with a system that puts the needs of the population above the profits of a few.