The Otis College of Art and Design commissioned a report for 2010 which was compiled by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.  The report shows a loss of 80,000 jobs in Los Angeles creative industries from 2007 to 2010.  Only digital media employment managed to remain steady over the same period.  Since creative workers occupy creative office, these statistics explain the absorption losses in L.A.’s Westside creative office market.

What about 2011?  Our calculation of the Los Angeles creative industries (excluding informational services) reveals a gain of only 1,200 jobs from November 2010 to November 2011.  This percentage gain, under one half of one percent, corresponds to the sluggish leasing recovery in the greater Westside creative office buildings.  In constrast, information services alone gained 5,200 jobs– an increase of over 65%.  This job explosion in digital technology has translated to a surging demand for creative office space, so far primarily in Santa Monica.

This article by Mike Boehm of The Los Angeles Times lays out all the findings of the Otis Report on the Creative Economy of Los Angeles and Orange Counties: LA Creative Jobs, LA Times Dec 20 2011.