Arts Commission Releases Report Analyzing Creative Occupations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2015
CONTACT:
Leticia Buckley, Director of Communications and Marketing
(213) 202-5935, lbuckley@arts.lacounty.gov
ARTS COMMISSION RELEASES REPORT ANALYZING
CREATIVE OCCUPATIONS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Report Finds Creative Job Opportunities Across a Variety of Industries in
LA County Are Not Limited to People With a Bachelor’s Degree
A new study released by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission finds that while half of the
79 creative occupations in LA County require a bachelor’s degree or more, nearly half of them,
require less. The report – Creative Work: How Arts Education Promotes Career Opportunities
Beyond the Arts – takes a closer look at data from the US Department of Labor about these
creative occupations that do not require a bachelor’s degree, to find out what kind of jobs they
are and how they compare to jobs that require at least a bachelor’s degree.
The full report can be found here.
The report looks at creative employment through the lens of creative occupations, those that
require some kind of creativity on the job but may be found in a variety of industries, from
aerospace to construction to education to arts and entertainment. The 2014 Otis Report on the
Creative Economy found 198,110 people working in 79 creative occupations in LA County.
Nearly one-third of these creative occupations only require a high school diploma.
Additionally, the report found that the top two work activities of those occupations that both do
and do not require a bachelor’s degree are the same: Getting Information and Thinking
Creatively. For 20 creative occupations that do not require a bachelor’s degree, more than onethird of all California employment in those jobs is in LA County; and on-the-job training
opportunities are far more prevalent among those occupations that do not require a bachelor’s
degree compared to those that do. The study found that half of the occupations that do not
require a bachelor’s degree have median annual earnings higher than median earnings across
all occupations in LA County.
“Of course we know the benefits of going to college are significant,” states Laura Zucker,
Executive Director, LA County Arts Commission. “Those creative occupations that require a
bachelor’s degree do pay more than those that do not. However, the reality is that not all high
school graduates will continue on to college immediately. With this study, we know there are
creative occupations offering viable job opportunities that pay living wages, even for those
students who do not continue directly to college after high school.”
With these creative occupations so highly concentrated in LA County, the report recommends
efforts to prepare young people to enter those occupations should begin in the K-12 system.
“If we are to prepare all students equally for the many creative occupations available in LA
County then we must ensure that every student from kindergarten to 12th grade has access to
high quality arts education,” says Denise Grande, Director of Arts Education, LA County Arts
Commission. “The knowledge and skills they gain will prepare them for jobs not only in the
creative industries, but for creative occupations that are found in many different industries.”
(Continued)
The report concludes that by helping people succeed in creative occupations, we can
strengthen those workers, the companies they work for, and the economy of California as a
whole.
The Los Angeles County Arts Commission fosters excellence, diversity, vitality, understanding
and accessibility of the arts in Los Angeles County, encompassing 88 municipalities, and
provides leadership in cultural services. In addition to its role implementing Arts for All, the
regional initiative dedicated to restoring arts education to 81 school districts, the Arts
Commission funds 380 nonprofit arts organizations through a $4.5 million grant program, funds
the largest arts internship program in the country, programs and operates the Ford Theatres,
and manages the County’s civic art policy. The Arts Commission also produces free community
programs, including the Emmy® Award-winning LA County Holiday Celebration for public
television. lacountyarts.org. @lacountyarts.
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