hospitality & entertainment workforce · $717 billion, a third of global media and...

As the largest institution of public higher education in Virginia, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) acts as a catalyst for economic growth in the capital region by providing access to highly skilled, credentialed, and diverse talent. NOVA’s Office of Corporate and Workforce Engagement advances this mission by collaborating with employers, economic development organizations, education institutions, community-based organizations, and local governments in the northern Virginia region to address the skills gap and develop a robust talent pipeline.

NOVAWORKFORCE

NOVA Regional Workforce

Hospitality & Entertainment

160,630Total hospitality & entertainment jobs in the NOVA region as of Q1 2019

24,141Job postings in the NOVA region over the last 12 months

5th nationallyThe Washington D.C. metropolitan area’s ranking for total hospitality & entertainment employment

7,100Total hospitality & entertainment degrees and credentials awarded in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area in 2016-2017

Concentration of Hospitality & Entertainment Jobs by ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA) in northern Virginia

Source: Chmura Economics & Analytics, JobsEQ.NOTE: Individual dots do not represent exact locations of jobs/establishments, but are evenly distributed geographically across each ZCTA to represent the concentration of jobs in each area.

$34,000 Average annual wage of hospitality & entertainment workers in NOVA region

Hospitality & Entertainment Workforce

12%

Hospitality & Entertainment Workforce | 1

According to the U.S. Travel Association, travel and tourism-related spending generated $2.5 trillion in economic output and supported 15.7 million jobs nationwide in 2018, including in entertainment and recreation, lodging, and restaurants.1 At the same time, the United States media and entertainment industry is estimated to be worth $717 billion, a third of global media and entertainment activity.2 Clearly, hospitality, tourism, and entertainment are major economic drivers nationally, and are a significant source of employment and job creation. Due to its close proximity to our nation’s capital, as well as its wealth of cultural and historical assets, these are also critical components of northern Virginia’s economy and workforce.

With this in mind, and with an eye towards better understanding NOVA’s role in collaborating with employers and community partners to develop a skilled workforce, this brief examines regional labor market trends and indicators for hospitality and entertainment occupations in order to determine where our region is now, and what the near future may look like.

1 “Made in America: Travel’s contribution to workforce development and career advancement.” U.S. Travel Association, 07 May 2019. https://www.ustravel.org/research/made-america-travels-contribution-workforce-development-and-career-advancement2 “Media and entertainment spotlight.” International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. https://www.selectusa.gov/media-entertainment-industry-united-states

DefinitionsWashington D.C. Metropolitan Area (D.C. MSA) The 25 counties (and independent cities) centered around the District of Columbia that are highly integrated economically and socially, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget. For the purpose of analysis, we consider four different sub-regions within the MSA:

NOVA RegionThe nine jurisdictions served by Northern Virginia Community College, including: Arlington County, Alexandria City, Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church City, Loudoun County, Manassas City, Manassas Park City, and Prince William County.

District of ColumbiaThe city and federal district that lies at the core of the metropolitan area.

Suburban Maryland (MD) and West Virginia (WV) The counties in Maryland and West Virginia that lie within the Washington D.C. MSA, including: Calvert County, Charles County, Frederick County, Jefferson County (WV), Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County.

Northern Virginia (Non-NOVA)The outlying Virginia counties composing the remainder of the Washington D.C. MSA that are not included in the NOVA Region. Includes: Clarke County, Culpeper County, Fauquier County, Fredericksburg, Madison County, Rappahannock County, Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, and Warren County.

Business and FinanceFor the purposes of this brief, we are considering occupations that are broadly oriented around providing services and goods related to entertainment, recreation, food, and tourism. Despite being found primarily in the same economic sector, the knowledge

and skills required for these occupations can vary significantly based on business venue or type of good or service provided. As a result, we have further categorized these occupations into three “sub-groups:” restaurants and food service; hospitality and tourism, which encompasses workers responsible not only for managing or providing hotel and travel services, but also recreation and other “sightseeing” activities; and arts and entertainment, which includes performers, artists, production technicians/managers, and other creative professionals.

Table 1 contains a selected list of the occupations we have considered in this analysis, including the codes and titles used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ standard occupation classification (SOC) system to formally define occupational categories for data collection and analysis, as well as total employment for the occupation in the NOVA region as of Quarter 1 of 2019. While our overall analysis included over 80 occupations, for the sake of brevity we have only provided the titles of occupations with employment of over 400 (or, those in roughly the upper 50% of the group).

Overview

Total Hospitality & EntertainmentJobs in D.C. MSA

431,71638%

6%

32%

24%

Figure 1. Hospitality & Entertainment Workforce by D.C. MSA Sub-Region


Table 1. Hospitality & Entertainment Occupations in the NOVA Region (employing over 400)

SOC Code SOC Title

Total Employment

SOC Code SOC Title

Total Employment

Restaurant & Food Services Occupations

11-9051 Food Service Managers 2,176 35-3021Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food

28,368

35-1011 Chefs and Head Cooks 1,109 35-3022Counter Attendants, Cafeteria, Food Concession, and Coffee Shop

3,312

35-1012First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

8,013 35-3031 Waiters and Waitresses 22,423

35-2011 Cooks, Fast Food 3,847 35-3041 Food Servers, Nonrestaurant 1,769

35-2012 Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 2,590 35-9011

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers

2,737

35-2014 Cooks, Restaurant 10,917 35-9021 Dishwashers 4,164

35-2015 Cooks, Short Order 755 35-9031Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop

3,660

35-2021 Food Preparation Workers 6,222 51-3011 Bakers 1,222

35-3011 Bartenders 3,538 53-3031 Drivers/Sales Workers 2,720

Hospitality & Tourism Occupations

13-1121 Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners 1,732 39-9032 Recreation Workers 3,007

33-9092Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers

1,315 41-2021 Counter and Rental Clerks 3,880

37-1011First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers

2,247 41-3041 Travel Agents 674

37-2012 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 11,269 43-4081 Hotel, Motel, and

Resort Desk Clerks 2,243

39-1021 First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers 2,505 43-4181

Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks

2,833

39-6011 Baggage Porters and Bellhops 502 39-7011 Tour Guides and Escorts 580

Arts and Entertainment Occupations

27-1011 Art Directors 755 27-3041 Editors 1,755

27-1014 Multimedia Artists and Animators 703 27-3043 Writers and Authors 1,271


As of Q1 2019, there were over 190,600 hospitality and entertainment jobs in the NOVA region, representing nearly 40% of the hospitality and entertainment workforce in the entire Washington D.C. metropolitan area (Figure 1). The majority of these jobs are food service-related (110,400 or 58%), around a third are specifically hospitality/tourism-related, and the remainder (roughly 10%) are in arts and entertainment (Table 2). Growth in all three areas, as well as for hospitality and entertainment occupations in general, is expected to remain steady, matching overall growth for all occupations in the region (around 1% annually).

Employers posting most frequently for hospitality and entertainment job over the last 12 months (Table 3) are more heavily skewed towards hotels and other

hospitality groups (six out of the top ten by total number of job postings) than we might expect given the workforce breakdown seen above. Of course, many hotels and hospitality groups also employ individuals in food service (or may include dining establishments). However, only three restaurants (as well as one grocery store) appear in the list of top ten employers. It is also notable that no single arts or entertainment-specific business shows up on this list (such as theaters, museums, or concert venues).

While job postings are a useful proxy or supplement for understanding labor demand, it is important to note that they do not provide a perfect measure. For example, many restaurants may hire primarily through word of mouth or other more informal processes.

Workforce SummaryTable 2. Summary - Hospitality & Entertainment Occupation Employment in the NOVA Region

Current (Q1 2019)Last 5 Years Next 3 Years

Total Employment

Average Annual Wage

Unemployment Rate

Average Annual Growth

Total New

DemandTotal

Separations*New

Growth

Average Annual Growth

Restaurants & Food Services 110,413 $29,900 4.2% 2.6% 61,127 57,773 3,354 1.0%

Hospitality & Tourism 36,000 $35,700 3.1% 1.0% 15,772 14,839 933 0.9%

Art & Entertainment 18,217 $55,200 3.2% 1.6% 7,819 7,275 544 1.0%

NOVA Region 190,675 $33,400 3.8% 2.0% 96,117 90,387 5,731 1.0%

D.C. MSA 431,716 $35,100 5.2% 2.0% 217,447 203,602 92,369 0.9%

Source: Chmura Economics & Analytics, JobsEQ.*Separations include demand resulting both from expected exits (individuals leaving the workforce due to retirement, etc.) and expected transfers (individuals moving into other occupations).NOTE: Figures may not sum due to rounding.

Source: Chmura Economics & Analytics, JobsEQ; O*NET OnLine.

27-2012 Producers and Directors 948 27-4011 Audio and Video Equipment Technicians 704

27-2022 Coaches and Scouts 2,945 39-3031 Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers 796

27-2041 Music Directors and Composers 531 39-3091 Amusement and

Recreation Attendants 2,965

27-2042 Musicians and singers 1,264 All Other Occupations (46 total) 7,667


Also, many restaurants do not hire or post jobs at the same volume as large corporate chains such as Chipotle or Boston Market—even when owned by larger hospitality/restaurant groups, individual restaurants may hire under their own individual names, and are therefore typically treated by the data system as individual employers. These are also issues that may impact analytics around postings for arts and entertainment jobs, which may be at individual venues with smaller staffs or more informal hiring processes. Even given all this, job postings provide a unique and valuable source of real-time job market information.

EmployerJob

Postings

Marriott International Incorporated 1,106

Compass Group 1,043

Hilton Hotel Corporation 610

Hyatt 310

Boston Market 283

Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. 274

B.F. Saul Company Hospitality Group 265

Sodexo 238

Harris Teeter 217

Chipotle Mexican Grill 196

Table 3. Top Ten NOVA Hospitality & Entertainment Employers by Total Job Postings

Source: Burning Glass Technologies: Labor Insight. 2019.

Regional Comparison

MSA Rank

Region/ MSA

Hospitality & Entertainment Employment

Total Employment

Hospitality & EntertainmentConcentration

1 New York City 1,228.2 9,836.5 12.5%

2 Los Angeles 1,023.1 6,590.4 15.5%

3 Chicago 610.5 4,865.6 12.5%

4 Dallas-Fort Worth 488.9 3,822.6 12.8%

5 Washington D.C. 431.7 3,382.6 12.8%

6 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 427.5 2,905.1 14.7%

7 Houston 414.2 3,228.5 12.8%

8 Atlanta 386.5 2,880.4 13.4%

9 Philadelphia 355.2 2,974.8 11.9%

10 Boston 349.7 2,829.9 12.4%

23 Baltimore 176.8 1,426.1 12.4%

- NOVA Region 164.6 1,335.2 12.3%

42 Richmond 83.5 675.5 12.4%

Table 4. Top MSAs by Total Hospitality & Entertainment Employment (in thousands) Compared to the NOVA Region and Nearby MSAs

Source: Chmura Economics & Analytics, JobsEQ

In order to best understand the local hospitality and entertainment labor market, it is also useful to place the region in context of other similar metropolitan areas, peer cities, and nearby regions. In this case, we compare the NOVA region to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area (MSA), other national MSAs with prominent hospitality and entertainment industries, as well as two nearby MSAs, Baltimore and Richmond.

The D.C. MSA ranks fifth among United States metropolitan areas for the total size of its arts and entertainment workforce, while the NOVA region ranks the equivalent of 25th, just behind Baltimore and Charlotte, NC (Table 4). Arts and entertainment occupations make up a relatively consistent share of the workforce across


these metro areas, however. By contrast, metropolitan areas with an unusually high concentration of hospitality and entertainment jobs are those that we

typically think of as entertainment or tourism hotspots, nationally: Las Vegas (25%), Orlando (20%), Honolulu (18%) and New Orleans (17%).

Restaurant & Food Service OccupationsLooking at food service occupations in the NOVA region, 39% of all new jobs expected to be added over the next three years will be for “combined food preparation and serving workers,” which includes jobs such as prep cooks, deli clerks, and cafeteria workers. Other food preparation workers (including cooks) and their immediate supervisors/managers are expected to make up an additional quarter of all new jobs over the same time period (Figure 2). Waiters and waitresses are expected to add the second highest number of jobs across all food service occupations. Growth in opportunities for other wait staff (such as bartenders and hosts) are expected to grow at about the same pace (0.8% annually) despite adding fewer total jobs due to lower overall employment numbers.

In addition to projected growth, another measure of an occupation’s importance and potential demand in a region is its concentration in the regional economy compared to its concentration nationally, also known as an occupation’s location quotient (LQ). An LQ of 0.8 – 1.2 usually means the occupation makes up a similar proportion of total regional employment as it does nationally, while an LQ higher than 1.2 means that the occupation makes up a greater share of the regional labor market than it does at a national level (and vice-versa for an LQ below 0.8).

With an LQ of 0.9, the restaurant and food service workforce in the NOVA region is similarly concentrated

as at the national level. Among the three occupations that have LQ values that fall at or above 1.0, only private household cooks could be considered as slightly more concentrated within the region than they are at the national level (Table 5). Despite employing relatively few individuals (just under 250), this occupation’s relative prominence regionally may be a function of the high levels of income and wealth in northern Virginia (Loudoun County has the highest median household income in the country, while Fairfax County is ranked third). While private cooks (i.e. personal chefs) are only the third highest paid food service occupation in the region, the fact that they provide a luxury service means that demand will invariable be higher in areas with higher incomes.

Occupation LQ*Total

Employment

Cooks, Private Household 1.3 241Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop 1.0 3,660

Waiters and Waitresses 1.0 22,423

Technical Writers 3.1 1,386

Table 5. Highest Concentrated Restaurant & Food Service Occupations in the NOVA Region

Source: Chmura Economics & Analytics, JobsEQ.

Table 6. Restaurant & Food Service Occupations with the Highest and Lowest Annual Wages in the NOVA Region

Highest Lowest

OccupationAverage Annual

Wages OccupationAverage Annual

Wages

Food Service Managers $69,700 Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $24,500

Chefs and Head Cooks $60,600 Cooks, Fast Food $24,900

Cooks, Private Household $45,600 Dishwashers $25,500

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $42,500 Combined Food Preparation and

Serving Workers, Including Fast Food $25,500

Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers $36,900 Food Preparation Workers $25,600

Source: Chmura Economics & Analytics, JobsEQ.Hospitality & Entertainment Workforce | 6

Otherwise, the highest-wage occupations in the region include managers and supervisory-level workers, while those with the lowest wages are low-skill support workers such as dishwashers and fast food cooks (Table 6). While this breakdown is not surprising, it is important to consider that only those food service occupations with the highest average wages exceed the $36,691 per year calculated as a living wage for a single adult in the Washington D.C. MSA by MIT’s Living Wage Calculator.3 Moreover, the food service occupation expected to add the greatest number of jobs over the next three years (combined food preparation and serving workers) is among those with the lowest wages—indeed, future growth for the group is most likely to be in lower-wage, low-skill areas.

3 “Living wage calculation for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. http://livingwage.mit.edu/metros/47900

Table 7 indicates the most in-demand skills for restaurant and food service occupations in the NOVA region based on the number of job postings requesting each skill over the past 12 months. These skills are further grouped into two different categories: baseline (or “soft”) skills, which are those that are necessary regardless of job function; and specialized skills, which are those that are uniquely necessary to a particular job or set of job functions. While the top skills requested for food service jobs in the NOVA region are relatively evenly split between baseline and specialized skills, even those specialized skills that are in-demand are relatively basic and would likely be taught through on-the-

job training. Indeed, based on determinations made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics through national survey data, only one food service occupation (private cooks) typically requires formal education beyond a high school diploma, however nearly all require varying degrees of on-the-job training.

Of course, the skill categories used by Burning Glass Technologies—whose Labor Insight tool aggregates and analyzes job postings from thousands of online job boards—are relatively broad, so specialized skills such as “cooking” or “food preparation” could require greater education and experience depending on the type of position.

Job postings data also indicates that food service occupations infrequently require formal industry certifications and, even when they do, they are certifications that can typically be acquired on the job. For example, 83% of job postings for food service jobs did not include any certifications, and among those that did the most in-demand credential specifically related to food service is ServSafe, which was only mentioned in roughly 20% of those remaining postings (Table 8). In fact, some employers may not require job candidates have the ServSafe credential prior

Skill TypeJob

Postings

Physical Abilities Baseline 3,687

Communication Skills Baseline 2,951

Cleaning Specialized 2,269

Cooking Specialized 2,261

Customer Service Baseline 2,258

Teamwork / Collaboration Baseline 2,139

Food Safety Specialized 1,789

Food Preparation Specialized 1,784

Organizational Skills Baseline 1,743

Scheduling Specialized 1,721

Table 7. Top Skills Listed on NOVA Restaurant & Food Service Job Postings


Certification Job Postings

Driver's License 1,266

ServSafe 555

Food Handler Certification 306

Food Service Certification 181

Security Clearance 97

Table 8. Top Certifications Listed on NOVA Restaurant & Food Service Job Postings


Figure 2. Restaurant & Food Service Occupations Expected to Add the Most New Jobs over the Next 3 Years

Combined Food Preparation, and Serving Workers,

Including Fast Food1,335

Waiters and Waitresses

Cooks, Restaurant

First-Line Supervisors of FoodPreparation and Serving Workers

Food Preparation Workers

39% of all newfood service Jobs

6.8% of all newfood service Jobs

5.1% of all newfood service Jobs175

234





to employment, and are instead willing to train and sponsor an employee to obtain it following hire.4

4 "Preparing for partnership: An analysis of the retail industry in Central Iowa." Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, June 2018. https://nationalfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Central-Iowa-Retail-LMA-FINAL.pdf.

Among hospitality and tourism occupations, a significant amount of new growth over the next three years will be for housekeeping staff as well as their supervisors—these two occupations are expected to add a total of 304 new jobs, accounting for nearly a third of near-term hospitality and tourism workforce growth in the region (Figure 3). Recreation workers and their supervisors ("first-line supervisors of personal service workers") account for nearly a quarter (23%) of all new hospitality and tourism job growth, and include roles such as recreation assistants, activities coordinators, camp counselors, recreation coordinators, and spa managers. However, these jobs are expected to grow at a faster pace—1.3% to 1.4% annually—than maids and housekeeping staff (0.7% annually). Front-line sales and customer service agents providing travel, recreation, and tourism related services are also expected to add a significant portion of new jobs over the next three years.

Some of these same occupations, as well as other similar entry-level occupations, are also among the most highly concentrated in the region; this includes reservation agents/travel clerks and housekeeping supervisors, other cleaning workers, and bellhops (Table 9). Meeting and convention planners, an occupation generally requiring greater skill and industry experience, is also highly concentrated in the region; given its proximity to the nation's capital, the NOVA region is an attractive location for meetings and conventions, as well as corporate and government-sponsored events. Also, with the prevalence of industry associations and professional groups in the Washington D.C. region, many of the planning jobs responsible for industry events and conferences may still be located locally even if the events are located elsewhere.

Being a higher-skilled occupation, meeting/convention planners also have the highest average annual wage across the entire hospitality and tourism group. Other occupations with higher annual average salaries for the group include a few that are also expected to add a larger proportion of new jobs in the near-term, particularly supervisors of front-line service and cleaning jobs, as well as reservation agents/travel clerks (Table 10). So, while the average annual salary across

all hospitality and tourism occupations is currently not much higher than for restaurant and food service occupations, it can expect greater growth among higher wage occupations. At the same time, many of the lowest-wage occupations in the group have below average projected growth rates, ranging from 0.1% annually for laundry and dry-cleaning workers, to 0.9% annually for recreational protective service workers (average annual growth across all occupations in the region is 1.1%). The hospitality and tourism workforce therefore has a slightly better outlook in terms of the near-term growth of higher-paying, higher-skilled jobs.

Hospitality & Tourism OccupationsFigure 3. Hospitality & Tourism Occupations Expected to Add the Most New Jobs over the Next 3 Years

Maids andHousekeeping Cleaners 233

Counter and Rental Clerks

Recreation Workers

First-Line Supervisors ofPersonal Service Workers

Reservation and TransportationTicket Agents and Travel Clerks

24.8% of all newhospitality Jobs



105

86

12.4% of all newhospitality Jobs117

12.8% of all newhospitality Jobs120


Occupation LQ*Total

Employment

Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks 2.5 2,833

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners 1.6 1,732

Building Cleaning Workers, All Other 1.6 205

Baggage Porters and Bellhops 1.4 502

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers

1.1 2,247

Table 9. Highest Concentrated Hospitality & Tourism Occupations in the NOVA Region



For right now, however, many of the most in-demand specialized skills from job postings are largely centered on cleaning and upkeep related tasks (Table 11), reflecting both the size of, and demand for, that segment of the hospitality workforce. Otherwise, demand for baseline skills across hospitality and tourism occupations slightly outweighs that for specialized skills. This includes front-line abilities such as communication and customer service, which can span across nearly all of the occupations found in this group. Paired with the high demand for guest services skills, however, this also reflects the demand for clerks that provide direct customer care.

Like restaurant and food service occupations, demand for industry certifications and credentials among hospitality and tourism occupations is also relatively low, with general non-industry-specific credentials (driver’s license and CPR/AED) topping the list of those most-mentioned in job postings (Table 12). Some spa and personal services occupations may also require a license. However, according to the BLS, most jobs in hospitality and tourism may not require much more than a high school diploma and short to moderate on-the-job training. The primary exception to this is meeting and convention planners, which typically require a bachelor’s degree or higher, although some opportunities may be available to those with less formal education, particularly with significant experience in the industry.Management level positions (particularly at hotels and resorts) also typically require additional education at either the associates or bachelor's degree levels.

Projected job growth in arts and entertainment is largely concentrated in two occupations: coaches/

Highest Lowest



Wages

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners $64,800

Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective

Service Workers$23,500

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers $48,000 Laundry and

Dry-Cleaning Workers $25,400

Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks $44,700 Tour Guides and Escorts $28,900

First-Line Supervisors of House-keeping and Janitorial Workers $44,600 Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks $29,400

Travel Agents $41,700 Baggage Porters and Bellhops $29,500

Table 10. Hospitality & Tourism Occupations with the Highest and Lowest Annual Wages in the NOVA Region


Skill TypeJob

Postings

Cleaning Specialized 2,280


Physical Abilities Baseline 1,960

Housekeeping Specialized 1,600

Organizational Skills Baseline 1,536

Guest Services Specialized 1,406

Customer Service Baseline 1,404

Teamwork / Collaboration Baseline 1,399

Detail-Oriented Baseline 1,380

Laundry Specialized 956

Table 11. Top Skills Listed on NOVA Hospitality & Tourism Job Postings



Driver's License 700

First Aid CPR AED 433

Certified Pool/Spa Operator 173


Cosmetology License 97

Table 12. Top Certifications Listed on NOVA Hospitality & Tourism Job Postings



scouts—which includes high school and college-level sports coaches as well as fitness coaches—and amusement/recreation attendants, which includes customer-facing service jobs at recreation and entertainment businesses such as golf courses, movie theaters, and pools (Figure 4). These are the two largest occupations in the group based on total employment, so while higher job growth than other occupations should be expected, the rate at which they are growing is also above average for the region: 1.6% annually for coaches and scouts and 1.2% for attendants, versus 1.1% overall. Aside from audio and video (A/V) technicians, which are growing 1.3% annually, the remaining high growth arts and entertainment occupations—largely creative professions—are expected to grow around or slightly below average (0.8% to 1.1%).

Creative occupations are also among the most concentrated arts and entertainment occupations in the NOVA region, with choreographers making up almost three times the share of the local workforce as at the national level (employed largely in fine arts and other schools). “Artists and related workers, all other”—which encompasses a wide variety of artists that do not fit in another occupation category—make up around twice the national concentration (Table 13). While Washington D.C. is known for its museums, technicians and conservators in the NOVA region are also make up a larger share of the workforce than typical. However, total employment in these occupations is relatively low, so while they are highly concentrated relative to national averages, they are still a relatively small portion of the local workforce overall, particularly when compared to editors and coaches/scouts.

When looking at wages, it is similarly useful to look primarily at those occupations that employ a larger share of the workforce, as their impact on regional incomes and prosperity will be more substantial; although makeup artists make, on average, over $80,000 per year, fewer than 30 of these jobs exist in the region so the occupation’s impact on overall wages is low. Considering only the (roughly) top 50% of arts and entertainment occupations in terms of total regional employment (those employing more than 200 jobs) editors are—in addition to being highly concentrated—among the highest paid in the region (Table 14). We may immediately think of newspaper or book editors, but this occupation can also include editors of other professional publications, including

those published by private corporate firms such as General Dynamics (the employer that posted jobs for editors most frequently over the last 12 months). Likewise, writers and authors—the occupation with the highest average annual wage among group occupations employing over 200—can include both creative and copy writers.

While these types of creative and “knowledge work” occupations make up most of the highest-paid arts and entertainment occupations, among the lowest paid are (like the other hospitality job groups) front-line, customer-facing roles such as amusement/recreation attendants and ushers. Also among the lowest wage arts and entertainment occupations, however, are higher-skilled occupations such as actors and coaches/scouts—both require some level of post-secondary education or significant industry experience and training. While higher-skilled occupations typically demand higher wages, job postings data indicate that the majority of these particular jobs are likely part-time

Arts & Entertainment Occupations

Occupation LQ*Total

Employment

Choreographers 2.8 158Artists and Related Workers, All Other 1.9 181

Editors 1.6 1,755Museum Technicians and Conservators 1.4 169

Coaches and Scouts 1.3 2,945

Table 13. Highest Concentrated Arts & Enter-tainment Occupations in the NOVA Region


Figure 4. Arts & Entertainment Occupations Expected to Add the Most New Jobs over the Next 3 Years

Coaches and Scouts 141

104

34

31

30

28

Amusement andRecration Attendants

Writers and Authors

Producers and Directors

Musicians and Singers

Audio and VideoEquipment Technicians

25.9% of all new arts& entertainment jobs








positions, which may explain this discrepancy—since the average annual wage for an occupation in this case is calculated by dividing total wages for the occupation by its average employment, lower total wages due to part-time work would lower the average annual wage per worker employed.

The skills most frequently requested in job postings for all arts and entertainment jobs over the last 12 months partially reflect the prominence of editors and writers/authors as in-demand occupations in the region (Table 15). While broad skills such as editing, writing, and research are categorized as “baseline” skills by Burning Glass, these can obviously vary and become more specialized based on the type of position. The appearance of “journalism” indicates that these are at

least partially related specifically to writing and editing in a media space, not surprising given the location of prominent publications such as USA Today and Politico in northern Virginia. Otherwise, common soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and organization make up the bulk of art and entertainment most frequently requested for these occupations. Of course, creativity—a trait commonly associated with arts and entertainment—is also highly placed.

As in the other groups, very few job postings requested some type of certification or industry credential—less than a quarter of arts & entertainment postings requested a certification of any kind, and just four were requested on more than 10% of the postings that did. As with hospitality occupations, these are largely general credentials that are requested on most low-skill postings (such as a driver’s license), personal service postings (CPR), or on any postings for jobs at government contractors (security clearance), such as those for editors or writers employed at businesses like General Dynamics (Table 16). Personal training certification was requested on some postings, primarily those for fitness coaches (grouped under “coaches and scouts”) but other industry-specific or technical

Table 14. Arts & Entertainment Occupations with the Highest and Lowest Annual Wages in the NOVA Region (over 200 employed)

Highest Lowest



Wages

Writers and Authors $89,200 Amusement and Recreation Attendants $22,600

Producers and Directors $83,400 Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers $23,900

Editors $80,000 Actors $41,600

Art Directors $79,400 Coaches and Scouts $46,400

Multimedia Artists and Animators $69,400 Musicians and Singers $52,500Source: Chmura Economics & Analytics, JobsEQ.

Skill TypeJob

Postings

Editing Baseline 1,056


Writing Baseline 897

Creativity Baseline 703

Teamwork / Collaboration Baseline 496

Detail-Oriented Baseline 492

Research Baseline 465

Organizational Skills Baseline 452

Physical Abilities Baseline 415

Journalism Specialized 400

Table 15. Top Skills Listed on NOVA Arts & Entertainment Job Postings




First Aid CPR AED 181

Driver's License 161

Personal Fitness Trainer Certification 70

Table 16. Top Certifications Listed on NOVA Arts & Entertainment Job Postings



Given the prominence of soft skills and lack of technical certifications requested in job postings for arts and entertainment occupations, we might assume that these occupations would require less formal education or training. However, the majority (63%) of postings for these jobs also indicated a bachelor’s degree as the minimal level of education required for employment (Figure 5). This is much higher than postings for either food service or hospitality jobs (9.7% and 21.5% respectively) and while the BLS has determined that only a few food service and hospitality occupations typically require education greater than a high school diploma (see relevant discussions above), its analysts have determined that over half (21/37) of arts and entertainment occupations do. These include many of the creative and knowledge workers earning the highest wages for arts and entertainment occupations, as well as other more technical production roles such as A/V technicians, broadcast technicians, camera operators, and film/video editors.

Otherwise, job postings for all hospitality and entertainment occupations overwhelmingly required just a high school diploma or some level of vocational training (Figure 5). This indicates that, in general, barriers to entry into these fields are relatively low, with advancement taking place based on the accumulation of skills through ongoing industry experience. Despite the NOVA region having much higher levels of education than the country—around 70% of the population holds some sort of 2-year, 4-year, or post-

5 Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2013-2017)

graduate degree compared to around 46% nationally5 —the hospitality and entertainment industry offers opportunities for entry-level and other lower skilled individuals to enter the workforce and skill up through on-the-job training.

This said, there are still a few occupations that, according to the BLS, require more than a high-school diploma, but less than a bachelor’s degree, and where middle-skill, technical training and education options are necessary. Again, these are primarily in the arts and entertainment group, particularly some of the technical production roles mentioned above, but also include skilled cooks. With only 41 credentials having been awarded in A/V and broadcasting technology at the certificate and two-year level across the Washington D.C. metropolitan area in 2017 (Figure 6), there is likely room for additional program growth in this area in particular, especially when considering that nearly 340 workers will be required to fill A/V, broadcast, and sound engineering technician jobs (both new and replacement/separations) over the next three years in the NOVA region.

certifications were requested on too few job postings to be relevant.

Education

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Restaurants & Food Services

67.8% 25.1%5.0%

81.5% 9.7%7.0%

3.6% 21.5%74.3%

28.4% 62.9%3.5% 5.1%

Hospitality & Tourism

Art & Entertainment

All Occupations

Figure 5. Minimum Education Requirements Requested in NOVA Hospitality & Entertainment Job Postings

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates ("ACS 5yr., 2013-2017).


Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections Program. “Education and training assignments by detailed occupations, 2016” [Data File]. Retrieved November 5, 2018.

Burning Glass Technologies. (2019) “Labor Insight Real-Time Labor Market Information Tool.” [Data File]. http://www.laborinsight.burning-glass.com/jobs/us#. Retrieved August 2, 2019. Job Postings from August 1, 2019 - July 30, 2019.

Chmura Economics & Analytics. (2019) “JobsEQ.” [Data File]. http://www.chmuraecon.com/jobseq. Retrieved July 26, 2019.

National Center for Education Statistics. “Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).” [Data File]. https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds. Retrieved July 26, 2019.

United States Census Bureau. “American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2013-2017.” [Data File]. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs. Retrieved May 10, 2019.

AcknowledgmentsWe would like to thank the Capital One Foundation for generously providing the funding that made this series of industry briefs possible.

The views expressed in this report are those of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of the Capital One Foundation.

Data Sources

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Sports, Fitness, and CoachingEnglish and Literature

Communications & Journalism

Cosmetology and Makeup ArtCulinary Arts & Cooking

Music Study & PerformanceWriting & Editing

Fine/Visual ArtsMass Communication & Broadcasting

Hospitality & Events ManagementDigital Media

Theater & Performance ArtsArt Studies & Art HistoryFilm & Video Production

Art Studies/HistoryAudiovisual & Broadcasting Technology

Museum Studies & ConversationRestaurant & Culinary Management

Recreation StudiesArts & Entertainment Management

6031,1521,312

5424413843543362732582492402322291851421291055423

Figure 6. Hospitality & Entertainment Credentials Awarded by Program Area and Level (D.C. MSA, 2016-2017)

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS.


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