Entertainment Jobs Up, But So Are Number of Workers Says New Report

Entertainment jobs have grown in California over the last 12 years, but that growth has not been able to satisfy the demand for jobs according to the inaugural report from the Entertainment Economy Institute (EEI).

The report, titled "California's Entertainment Workforce", found that there were 294,000 entertainment jobs in California in 2002, up 29 percent since 1991. Those jobs were serviced by a work force of about 400,000. The work force grew 35 percent during those 12 years, twice the rate of the state's overall labor force. Employment most recently peaked in 1999 with 326,000 jobs.

The report utilized information from a broad range of sources - including the Economic Development Department (EDD) and the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation (EIDC). It has come under some fire for its effort to describe the Hollywood workforce in comprehensive terms.

"We not only expanded the definition of motion picture and entertainment-related companies but added jobs that would show up in other state tax codes like catering, equipment rental, accounting and payroll companies," EEI president and CEO Kathleen Milnes said. "Then we did the worker analysis, which has never been done before."

"We've been able to show that what people are talking about anecdotally is true in the sense that people who are used to working a lot aren't working as much, and that has a big impact on them," Milnes added.

For more information about the report, or to read it in its entirety, visit: www.entertainmentecon.org

[return to top]