Information Sector Labor Costs Rise Amid 2025 Job Losses
Operators in broadcasting and media face higher wage overhead as the industry sheds 56,400 positions.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Employment
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The U.S. information sector experienced a 1.9% decline in employment during 2025, shedding roughly 56,400 jobs while simultaneously recording a 9.4% rise in average weekly wages. Broadcasting and content providers specifically saw a 16.8% increase in average pay, contrasting with broader industry contraction.
Why it matters
The divergence between rising compensation and falling headcount suggests a structural shift toward a more specialized, higher-cost labor pool in the information sector. This trend forces business operators in media and tech to navigate higher payroll obligations even as they manage reduced total staff capacity.
Average weekly pay for broadcasting providers reached $5,476, with the information sector losing 56,400 jobs in 2025. This contrasts with the broader private sector, which saw 0.4% employment growth, while healthcare and social assistance added 763,500 positions.
The players
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity and setting national employment benchmarks.
LendingTree
A financial services platform that provides analysis of federal economic data to track labor market trends.
The details
The Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates these average weekly wages by dividing total annual wages by average annual employment and then by 52. The 16.8% pay jump in broadcasting indicates an intensifying market for specialized expertise, even as the broader information sector undergoes consolidation. Meanwhile, sectors like social assistance expanded payroll by 300,984 positions, highlighting a shift in capital deployment toward service-heavy industries.
Timeline
2024 to 2025: Period for wage and employment data comparison.
Market Landscape
This data aligns with broader trends captured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages regarding sectoral divergence. The findings mirror the ongoing recalibration of payroll costs in digital-heavy industries compared to the labor-intensive growth seen in human services.
Operators in the information sector must anticipate sustained wage pressure despite lower headcount needs. Budgeting for higher average per-employee costs remains essential as the industry shifts toward higher-priced, specialized talent.
The takeaway
The data signals a premium on high-skill labor as the information sector thins its workforce. Monitor your own payroll efficiency ratios against these sector averages to determine if your staffing costs are aligned with current industry-wide wage growth.
Further reading
For broader trends in labor markets, see Employment.
Source note: This article includes information reported by International Business Times.
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