Shock job losses at ABC: Nearly 60 jobs will be cut in a single department as new technology makes the process ‘more efficient’.
The ABC has announced that it will lay off 58 employees from its archives and research departments.
Many of the jobs are being laid off because new technology has made them obsolete, reports The Australian.
However, the ABC says the move will create 30 new roles.
Wielding an axe: The ABC has announced it will lay off 58 people from its archives and research departments. Many of the jobs are being laid off because new technology has made them obsolete, reports The Australian. (Pictured: ABC Headquarters in Ultimo, Sydney)
There’s still no word from the ABC on how many employees will be offered severance packages.
An official statement from the public broadcaster Wednesday said ABC is “transforming into a digital-first media organization.”
The new technology has made the collection, management, discovery and reuse of content more efficient, a spokesman said.
Digital Transformation: Archives will look nothing like this 1930s as the ABC “transforms into a digital-first media organization.” The new technology has made the collection, management, discovery and reuse of content more efficient, a spokesman said
“As a result, we can redesign the way we work to better support content creators as they meet changing audience needs,” ABC said.
“This means that some roles are no longer required, but also provides opportunities to develop new skills and create new and evolved roles.”
ABC archives are used by media and filmmakers in Australia and overseas as a premier source of important and often rare historical material.
The ABC’s decision to cut jobs in the archives department could cause unrest within the organization, sources say.
Important: ABC archives are used by media and filmmakers in Australia and overseas as a premier source of important and often rare historical material. (Pictured: ABC Chairwoman Ita Buttrose in Sydney on July 18, 2018)
Because the ABC journalists no longer have a large research team at their disposal when preparing stories.
Meanwhile, the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) and the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) issued a joint statement criticizing the move.
“The ability to find archival footage and reports that underpin everything from TV dramas to news radio is greatly appreciated by other ABC employees who do not have the professional skills to do this work themselves,” they said.
Progress: Ninety percent of ABC’s audio collection and 35 percent of its videotape resources are now digitized. (Pictured: an archive image of a film archive)
Ninety percent of ABC’s audio collection and 35 percent of its videotape resources are now digitized, according to the ABC website.
This means that the material, which includes more than two million pieces of content, has been converted into digital files.
Content creators can now access this material through their desktops via ABC’s Content Digital Archive (CoDA), the broadcaster said.