A new study shows that entertainment industry employment grew at a faster rate than overall employment during the 1990s, Daily Variety said Thursday.

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The paper said the study -- conducted by the Entertainment Economy Institute -- concluded show business jobs in California grew by 29 percent between 1991 and 2002. Private employment overall in California grew by 17 percent during the same span.

The report -- titled "California's Entertainment Workforce" -- also concluded entertainment industry workers earn above-average wages. The study also found, however, entertainment industry jobs fell to 294,000 in 2002, after peaking at 336,000 in 1999.

The report -- paid for with a $742,000 grant from the governor's discretionary Workforce Investment Act funds -- also found that many entertainment industry professionals need to moonlight to make ends meet.

"In any given year, almost half of entertainment workers relied on non-entertainment jobs for their primary income," said the study.

It also concluded although most people think of the major studios as the entertainment industry, firms with fewer than 20 employees provide most of the employment.