2022 Creative Goods and Services

Although it accounted for the largest single-year loss in jobs both in Los Angeles County—around 2,000 or 14%—and across the state—approximately 4,000 or 10.4%—from 2019 to 2020, the pandemic only accelerated employment trends already in motion. The Creative Goods and Products sector was severely hampered in the years following the Global Financial Crisis and – with the exception of a modest uptick between 2012 and 2015—never recovered. Employment in California dropped from around 59,000 jobs in 2007 to a little over 35,000 in 2020, while employment in Los Angeles County fell by nearly half to only around 12,300 workers (Figure 2.41).

The Creative Goods and Products sector includes five subsectors: Dolls, Toys, and Games; Furniture; Musical Instruments; Glassware, Metalware, and Ceramic Goods; and Print Production. The pandemic’s impact on sector employment in California has varied widely depending on the subsector. Few workers engaged in the manufacturing of Dolls, Toys and Games lost their jobs in 2020—employment declined less than a 1%—while other subsectors experienced considerable job losses ranging from 5% to 15%.

For more information on the Creative Goods and Products sector, please download the 2022 Otis College Report on the Creative Economy.