State says 220,000 more jobs created than it first figured.

Stronger growth reflected in new data through March

Some 220,000 more jobs were created in California in the past year than were previously tallied, according to new state figures.

In particular, the state's Department of Finance reported substantial increases in the entertainment,

The new numbers actually revised figures published earlier in the year by the state's Economic Development Department. The Department of Finance reported tha about 220,000 more jobs were created in California in that time frame than the EDD had originally reported.

The Department of Finance and EDD both report employment figures on a regular basis. The Department of Finance uses quarterly payroll reports made by companies statewide to compile its statistics, while the EDD surveys employers, said Cecilia Palada, research analyst with the Department of Finance.

Thus it is possible for each department to report different numbers, Palada said.

In one of the most notable revisions -- one that directly reflects activity in L.A. County -- the Department of Finance revised the original EDD report of a 3.9 percent increase in jobs created in the motion picture industry between March 1993 and March 1994. The Department of Finance reported a whopping 15.1 percent increase.

Technology jobs in the film industry have grown tremendously, including those i interactive media, special effects and editing, observed Gini Barrett, senior vice president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, an industry trade group.

Additionally, studios have boosted feature film production. "Every studio was very aggressive," Barrett said.

Meanwhile, construction employment throughout the state increased by 3.8 percen during the 12-month period, according to the Department of Finance figures, in comparison with a 1.2 percent increase reported by the EDD.

Construction employment has been on the rise in L.A. County, said Ben Bartolotto, research director with the Construction Industry Research Board, a Burbank-based nonprofit construction research center.

Although employment in residential and commercial construction in the county is still falling, jobs for public works projects have been on the rise, he noted. Much of this work is for Metro Rail or is earthquake-related, Bartolotto said.

California employment
(in thousands)

                                      EDD                        DOF

                                                                    % change
                               March     March       %      March     from
Industry                        1993      1994    change     1994   March 1993

Construction                   431.4     436.7    +1.2%     447.8    +3.8&
Manufacturing                1,819.3   1,752.0    -3.7%   1,769.4    -2.7%
Missiles; space vehicles        49.8      39.8   -20.0%      40.9   -17.9%
Motion Pictures                121.8     126.6    +3.9%     140.2   +15.1%
Retail                       2,086.0   2,062.0    -1.2%   2,100.4    +0.7%
Transportation                 362.9     364.8    +0.5%     376.5    +3.7%
Wholesale trade                682.6     673.2    -1.4%     699.8    +2.5%

Source: California Department of Finance, California Employment Development
Department

In addition, the Department of Finance reported wholesale trade employment throughout the state increased 2.5 percent between March 1993 and March 1994, while the EDD figures showed a 1.4 percent decline.

Although these figures are statewide, they are particularly indicative of what is going on in L.A. County because "Los Angeles is the largest wholesale trade center in the state," said Jack Kyser, chief economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Goods come into the county through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and are distributed wholesale here, Kyser explained.

Furthermore, transportation employment throughout the state grew at a 3.7 percent clip between March 1993 and March 1994, according to the Department of Finance. That compares with a 0.5 percent increase reported by the EDD.

Relating that statewide data to the local economy, Kyser noted airline passenge traffic is on the rise at both Los Angeles International Airport and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport.

Passenger traffic through the Burbank Airport surged 15.3 percent during the first six months of 1994 compared with a year earlier, according to airport spokesman Victor Gill.

Passenger traffic through LAX increased 4.5 percent during the same period, according to the Los Angeles Department of Airports.