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Amusement and Recreation Services

Nature of the Industry  |  Working Conditions  |  Employment  |  Occupations in the Industry
Training and Advancement  |  Job Outlook  |  Earnings

Significant Points

• More than 40 percent of all workers have no formal education beyond high school.
• Employment growth, along with high turnover, should create numerous job opportunities.
• Earnings are relatively low, reflecting the large number of part-time and seasonal jobs.

Nature of the Industry

As leisure time and personal incomes have grown across the Nation, so has the amusement and recreation services industry. This industry includes more than 102,000 establishments, ranging from theme parks to fitness centers. Practically any activity that occupies a person’s leisure time, excluding the viewing of motion pictures and videotape rentals, is part of the amusement and recreation services industry. The diverse range of activities offered by this industry can be categorized into three broad groups—sports, performing arts, and amusement, including gaming. 
Sports. This segment of the industry includes professional sports, as well as establishments providing sports facilities and services to amateurs. Commercial sports clubs operate professional and amateur athletic clubs and promote athletic events. Every possible type of sport can be found in these establishments, including baseball, basketball, boxing, football, ice hockey, soccer, wrestling, and even auto racing. Professional and amateur companies involved with sports promotion also are part of this industry segment, as are sports establishments in which gambling is allowed, such as auto, dog, and horse racetracks. 

This segment of the industry also includes physical fitness facilities that feature exercise and weight loss programs, gyms, health clubs, and day spas. These establishments also frequently offer aerobic dance, yoga, and exercise classes. Other amusement and recreation businesses include bowling centers that rent lanes and equipment for tenpin, duckpin, or candlepin bowling. 

These facilities may be open to the public or available on a membership basis. Sports and recreation clubs open only to members and their guests include some golf, yacht, tennis, racquetball, hunt, and gun clubs. Public golf courses, unlike private clubs, offer facilities to the general public on a fee basis. 

Performing arts. A variety of businesses and groups involved in live theatrical and musical performances are included in this segment. Theatrical production companies, for example, coordinate all aspects of producing a play or theater event, including employing actors and actresses. Agents represent actors and assist them in finding jobs. Booking agencies line up performance engagements for theatrical groups. Costume design management companies design costumes for productions. Also included are lighting and stage crews that handle the technical aspects of productions. 

Performers of live musical entertainment include popular music artists, dance bands, orchestras, jazz musicians, and rock-and-roll bands. Orchestras range from major professional orchestras with million dollar budgets to community orchestras, often with part-time schedules. The performing arts segment also includes dance studios, schools, and halls, which provide places for professional and amateur dancers to practice, perform, and learn. The majority of these dance troupes perform ballet or modern dance. 

Amusement. A variety of establishments provide amusement for a growing number of customers. Some of these businesses provide video game, pinball, and gaming machines to amusement parks, arcades, and casinos. Casinos and other gaming establishments offering off-track betting are a rapidly growing part of this industry segment. This segment also includes amusement and theme parks, which range in size from local carnivals to multi-acre parks. These establishments may have mechanical rides, shows, and refreshment stands. Other amusement and recreation services include day camps, fireworks display services, go-cart rentals, rodeos, riding stables, waterslides, skating rinks, ski lifts, and establishments offering rental sporting goods. 

Working Conditions

Jobs in amusement and recreation services are more likely to be part time than are those in other industries. In fact, the average nonsupervisory worker in the amusement and recreation industry worked 25.9 hours a week in 2000. Entertainers, actors, and musicians were most likely to work part time, due to the large number of performers competing for a limited number of positions. The majority of performers are unable to support themselves in this profession alone and are forced to supplement their income through other jobs. 

Many types of amusement and recreation establishments dramatically increase employment during the summer and either scale back employment during the winter or close down completely. Workers may be required to work nights and holidays because most establishments are busiest during major holidays. Some jobs require extensive travel. Music and dance troupes, for example, frequently tour or travel to major metropolitan areas across the country, in hopes of attracting large audiences. 

Many in this industry work outdoors, whereas others may work in hot, crowded, or noisy conditions. Some jobs, such as those at fitness facilities or in amusement parks, involve some manual labor and, thus, require physical strength and stamina. Also, athletes, dancers, and many other performers must be in particularly good physical condition. Many jobs include customer-service responsibilities, so employees must be able to work well with the public. 

In 1999, cases of work-related illness and injury averaged 6.7 for every 100 full-time workers, higher than the average of 6.3 for the entire private sector. Risks of injury are high in some jobs, especially those of athletes. Although most injuries are minor, including sprains and muscle pulls, they may prevent an employee from working for a period.

Employment

The amusement and recreation services industry is characterized by a large number of seasonal and part-time positions and by workers who are younger than the average for all industries. The majority of workers are under the age of 35. Many businesses in the industry increase hiring during the summer, often employing high school- and college-age workers. 

Occupations in the Industry

Recreation workers organize and promote activities such as arts and crafts, sports, games, music, dramatics, social recreation, camping, and hobbies. They generally are employed by schools; theme parks and other tourist attractions; or health, sports, and other recreational clubs. Recreation workers schedule organized events to structure leisure time.

Gaming services workers assist in the operation of games such as keno, bingo, and gaming table games. They may calculate and pay off the amount of winnings, or collect players’ money or chips.

Other service workers include waiters and waitresses, who serve food in entertainment establishments; counter attendants and food preparation and serving workers, who serve and sometimes prepare food for patrons; and bartenders, who mix and serve drinks in amusement establishments.

Building, grounds cleaning, and maintenance occupations include building cleaning workers, who clean up after shows or sporting events and are responsible for the daily cleaning and upkeep of facilities. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers care for athletic fields and golf courses. These workers maintain artificial and natural turf fields, mark boundaries, and paint team logos. They also mow, water, and fertilize natural athletic fields and vacuum and disinfect synthetic fields. Protective service occupations include security guards and gaming surveillance officers, who patrol the property and guard against theft, vandalism, and illegal entry. At sporting events, guards maintain order and direct patrons to various facilities.

Professional and related occupations account for 13 percent of all jobs in this industry. Members of one of the most well-known, athletes and sports competitors, perform in a variety of sports. Professional athletes compete in events for compensation, either through salaries or prize money. Organizations such as the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Football League (NFL) sanction events for professionals. Few athletes are able to make it to the professional level, where high salaries are common. In some professional sports, minor leagues offer lower salaries with a chance to develop skills through competition before advancing to major league play.

Coaches and scouts train athletes to perform at their highest level. Often, they are experienced athletes who have retired and are able to provide insight from their own experiences to players. Umpires, referees, and other sports officials, even in professional sports, usually work part time and often have other full-time jobs. For example, many professional sport referees and umpires officiate at amateur games, as well.

Musicians and singers may play musical instruments, sing, compose, arrange music, or conduct groups in instrumental or vocal performances. The specific skills and responsibilities of musicians vary widely by type of instrument, size of ensemble, and style of music. For example, musicians can play jazz, classical, or popular music, either alone or in groups ranging from small rock bands to large symphony orchestras.

Actors entertain and communicate with people through their interpretation of dramatic and other roles. They can belong to a variety of performing groups, ranging from those appearing in community and local dinner theaters to those playing in full-scale Broadway productions. Dancers express ideas, stories, rhythm, and sound with their bodies through different types of dance, including ballet, modern dance, tap, and jazz. Dancers usually perform in a troupe, although some perform solo. Many become teachers when their performing careers end. Producers and directors select and interpret plays or scripts, and give directions to actors and dancers. They conduct rehearsals, audition cast members, and approve choreography. They also arrange financing, hire production staff members, and negotiate contracts with personnel.

About 9 percent of all jobs in this industry are in sales and related occupations. The largest of these, cashiers, often use a cash register to receive money and give change to customers. In casinos, gaming change persons and booth cashiers exchange coins and tokens for patrons’ money. Counter and rental clerks check out rental equipment to customers, receive orders for service, and handle cash transactions.

Another 9 percent of jobs in this industry are in office and administrative support occupations. Receptionists and information clerks, one of the larger occupations in this category, answer questions and provide general information to patrons. Other large occupations in this group include general office clerks and secretaries and administrative assistants.

Management, business, and financial operations occupations make up 6 percent of employment in this industry. Managerial duties in the performing arts include marketing, business management, event booking, fundraising, and public outreach. Recreation supervisors and park superintendents oversee personnel, budgets, grounds and facility maintenance, and land and wildlife resources. Some common administrative jobs in sports are tournament director, health club manager, and sports program director.

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations make up 3 percent of industry employment. General maintenance and repair workers are the largest occupation in this group.

Training & Advancement

Job Outlook

Wage and salary jobs in amusement and recreation services are projected to increase about 35 percent over the 2000-10 period, more than double the rate of growth projected for the entire economy. Growing participation in amusement and recreation activities—reflecting increasing incomes, leisure time, and awareness of the health benefits of physical fitness—will provide a large market for establishments providing amusement and recreational facilities and services. 

Changing demographics of the Nation also will have a major impact on industry employment. For example, amusement and recreation services are expected to increasingly target the growing elderly population. Consequently, employment opportunities may be better in those establishments, such as cruise ships and golf courses, that serve active adults between 50 and 75 years old. Continued growth in hospital and hotel fitness centers and instructional exercise programs, especially those designed and marketed for retirees, also should lead to more job openings. Growth also is expected in those amusement and recreation services, such as health spas and fitness centers, that cater to younger adults in their 20s and 30s with steadily rising incomes. 

In addition to these increases, employment in the performing arts will grow rapidly, along with demand for entertainment from a growing population. However, the supply of workers in this segment also will grow, because of the appeal of these jobs, ensuring continued intense competition. Additionally, amusement and theme parks should experience steady growth and offer many seasonal and part-time job opportunities. 

The amusement and recreation services industry has relied heavily on workers under the age of 25 to fill seasonal and unskilled positions. Although the pool of these workers will grow in coming years, opportunities should be good for young, seasonal, part-time, and unskilled workers. In addition, the industry is expected to hire a growing number of workers in other age groups.  

Earnings

Earnings vary according to occupation and segment of the industry. For example, some professional athletes earn millions, but competition for these positions is intense, and most athletes are unable to reach even the minor leagues. Many service workers make the minimum wage or a little more. Actors often go long periods with little or no income from acting, so they are forced to work at second jobs. Earnings in selected occupations in amusement and recreation services appear in table 3.
 

Table 3. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in amusement and recreation services, 2000
Occupation	Amusement and recreation services	All industries
Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors	$12.20	$10.96
Self-enrichment education teachers	11.97	13.44
Security guards	8.80	8.45
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	8.35	8.80
Receptionists and information clerks	7.78	9.63
Cashiers, except gaming	7.11	6.95
Waiters and waitresses	6.83	6.42
Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers	6.81	6.61
Amusement and recreation attendants	6.63	6.72
Gaming dealers	6.54	6.41

 
Because many amusement and theme parks dramatically increase employment during vacation periods, employment for a number of jobs in the industry is seasonal. Theme parks, for example, frequently hire young workers, often students, for summer employment. Also, many sports are not played all year, so athletes and people in the service jobs associated with those sports often are seasonally employed.

Employers in some segments of this industry offer benefits not available in other industries. For example, benefits for workers in some theme parks include free passes to the park, transportation to and from work, housing, scholarships, and discounts on park merchandise.

Although unions are not common in most segments of this industry, they are important in the performing arts sector. Virtually all actors, actresses, and performers are members of a union. Consequently, earnings of most performers are determined by union contracts that specify minimum salary rates and working conditions.

Source: Career Guide to Industries, Bureau of Labor Statistics

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