Hollywood employment seen dropping in 2008

Los Angeles Economic Development Corp estimates that movie and television production employed 157,800 people in the area last year but will drop this year to 151,800. Broken into three subcategories, independent artists, writers and performers will take the biggest hit, losing 8.4% to 9,200 this year. Motion picture and sound is next, with a 4.3% decline to 122,700, and radio, TV and cable broadcasting fares best with 1.6% growth to 20,300. The better news from the LAEDC's midyear report is that growth in the entertainment industry is expected to return next year as the industry makes up for the labor unrest that has hampered it this year.