Movies, TV Shows May Add 16,000 Jobs in ’98

A growing demand for films and television shows is forecast to add 16,000 jobs to Los Angeles County next year, a 12% growth rate that is more than five times faster than the county overall, according to a forecast from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. Those jobs are projected to represent nearly a fifth of all new employment for the region. Demand for movies is driving the sector’s growth, along with increased production of television commercials, according to the report. Overall, the county’s job rate growth for 1998 was forecast at 2.1%, or 81,000 new jobs, pushing the total to nearly 4 million. That also represents a slight cooling from the 1997 gain of 2.3%, or 89,000 jobs.