Closing the tech skills gap in the video games industry

gamesindustry.biz:

The video games sector continues to be one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, with the market expected to reach $205 billion by 2025 according to Newzoo. It’s an exciting time. However, a significant challenge remains: the shortage of tech skills.

For small and large companies, sourcing and retaining talent has become increasingly challenging as the broader technology ecosystem is chasing employees with similar experience.

Unsurprisingly, the competition for strong candidates in the video games industry is high. The sector’s constant need for both B2B and B2C activity means there’s a wealth of opportunity for employees to carve out hugely successful careers. But when viewed in the context of competition from the many other tech sectors, recruitment becomes less of a healthy challenge and more of a critical business issue that studios need to address.

Since lockdown, the need for tech talent has skyrocketed, but the pool of suitable candidates hasn’t matched demand. There has been a growing need for suitable skills to support development, design, and implementation. Vacancies across the UK, US, and EU have outstripped supply.

The UK Chambers of Commerce reported that nearly two in three firms wanted to hire people, with eight in ten of those saying finding either skilled or unskilled workers was difficult – meaning that both experienced tech professionals and new entrants are in high demand. Similarly, in the US, the chair of the Federal Reserve has said the current labour force is 3.5 million workers shy of pre-pandemic forecasts. Meanwhile, The Digital Economy and Society Index shows that 40% of adults who work in Europe need more basic digital skills.

And this trend has a direct impact on the games