Hollywood’s cameras may still be rolling, but for thousands of workers, the biggest problem is finding a set to work on.
Hollywood is facing a prolonged slowdown in film and television production, leaving many industry workers struggling to find jobs as fewer projects are being filmed in Los Angeles.
FilmLA data showed that Los Angeles recorded 4,711 on location shoot days in the second quarter of 2026, a 12% drop from the same period in 2025 and 36% below the five-year average. Feature-film shooting also fell by 20%, while television production dropped by 30% year-on-year.
The decline has affected not only actors and directors but also crews, technicians, post-production workers, vendors and small businesses that depend on film and television productions.
The Los Angeles Times reported in May that more than 80 film and television production service businesses in Los Angeles had closed since 2022, while the local motion picture industry had lost about 57,000 jobs over four years.
Nationally, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employment in motion picture and video production was still about 100,000 jobs below its October 2022 peak in early 2026.
The downturn has been linked to several factors, including the post-streaming boom slowdown, production moving to other states and countries, rising costs and consolidation within the entertainment industry.
For Hollywood workers, the shrinking number of productions has turned what was once one of the world’s busiest entertainment hubs into an increasingly uncertain job market.
