Study Predicts 5% Fewer New Disney Jobs : Economy: Only about one in four jobs created by expansion at Disneyland would be full time, analysis says. Most positions would be low-wage.

The proposed Disneyland Resort would create about 650 fewer jobs than was previously predicted in economic forecasts, according to a housing study prepared for the city of Anaheim.

And only about four of 10 jobs would be full time, with the rest part time or seasonal. Most would be low-wage, entry-level positions.

The study, buried within five volumes of environmental documents, could become one of the issues raised when public hearings begin April 28 on the expected impact on the city of the $3-billion resort.

Walt Disney Co. and city officials said the 5% difference in the number of jobs reflects conclusions by two consulting firms and will have a minor impact on the economic benefits of the project.

Currently, Disney is weighing whether to build a mega-resort centered in the present-day parking lot of Disneyland. It would include a new internationally themed amusement park, called Westcot, and three new hotels modeled after California landmarks. The buildings would be nestled amid lakes and a lush “Garden District.”

The job estimates, produced by independent consultants based on information supplied by Disney, highlight the conflicts that still must be addressed in passing regulatory muster and winning public support for the project.

The differing job figures show up in two reports--in an economic analysis prepared for Disney two years ago and in a housing demand analysis that is part of the project’s environmental impact review released in November. Although the housing figures are newer, Disney still cites the economic analysis of jobs when seeking to woo support from local groups.

Support has been considered crucial given that hundreds of millions of dollars--possibly as much as $1 billion--in public financing is being sought.

The economic study, prepared by the Los Angeles firm of Kotin, Regan & Mouchly, showed “permanent” creation of “15,700 direct jobs” in Anaheim. But pressed about the figures last week, Disney officials said that only 12,500 of those “direct jobs” would be inside its theme park and hotel complex. The other 3,200 jobs would come from companies that are expected to build hotel rooms or stores outside the park’s gates.

Those job-hiring figures, however, differ from those in the housing study. The housing report, prepared by Hamilton, Rabinovitz & Alschuler in Los Angeles, predicts that 11,848--not 12,500--jobs will be created in the theme park. That is 652 fewer jobs.

Kerry Hunnewell, the Westcot project director for Disney, said the discrepancy is meager--a mere 5% when measured against the huge scope of the project. “This is not an exact science,” he said of the estimates. Both studies are valid, he added.

Anaheim Deputy City Manager Tom Wood, who is analyzing the expansion project for the city, said he, too, was not alarmed by the discrepancy.

“They are projections, and projections by nature vary slightly,” he said.

Even though the discrepancy is discounted by Disney officials as small, it still represents a significant employment loss when compared to other businesses in the county. For example, the Koll Co., a $500-million real estate development firm based in Irvine, has 425 employees in Orange County. The Hyatt Regency Irvine has about 450 workers.