The income story
Sometimes pictures do speak louder than words. The following graph shows what long-time freelancers feel in our bones. Simply put, it is getting harder to make a living as an independent media worker.
In 1979, the average annual income for a freelance writer in Canada was around $25,000. Exact data is hard to come by, but in 1996 the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) conducted a survey on rates. They found the average annual income was about $26,000. In 2006 PWAC released its latest survey results. It shows a full 61% of freelancers now make under $25,000, with nearly 40% making less than $10,000. The average income had dropped to $24,000.
But these numbers only show half the picture. Between 1979 to 2006 inflation grew the cost of living by about 165%. What cost $1 in 1979, today costs about $2.65. This is a 165% growth in the cost of living. It now takes 165% more money just to be at the same level, compared to 1979. Freelancers are still receiving the same $1 that they did thirty years ago.
The bottom line is that independent media workers are getting killed in the marketplace.
This next graph puts it another way. If freelance income had simply kept pace with inflation, the average annual income would be around $65,000.
