What can we expect from the games industry job market in 2022?
OPM’s Kim Parker Adcock looks into the future and the issues that will face recruiters in the months ahead
2020 was one of the strongest performing years we’ve seen in video games, and 2021 continued to show growth in game sales and jobs being made available. Can this upwards trend continue? We certainly hope so, and if it does this is what we expect to see on the recruitment side of things.
SKILL-SHORTAGES AND WAGE GROWTH The incessant demand for experienced game industry professionals has always been there. Whether it be developers, creatives, marketers, or any area of the industry really, it’s the experience in games that is sought after and for some roles there just aren’t many candidates that have it. The industry’s recent success has generally led to expansion for studios, unfortunately the demand isn’t meeting the supply when it comes to experienced game developers. The difficult roles to fill have become even trickier, and an often-overlooked result of skill shortages is that it can lead to wage growth. A basic economic response to a skill-shortage is for companies to increase pay to attract the best talent and we have seen many examples of this in practice over the last year or two.
REMOTE WORKING
Remote working has had a huge impact and will continue to mould hiring strategies. A few studios are planning to go back to the studio full-time in the new year and are already seeing a backlash from their current employees. It’s a double-edged sword, some people want to feel a part of a team again and miss the social aspects of working in-house, and of course many feel safer at home and are operating just
January 2022
as well and sometimes even better remotely. To truly remain competitive in the games industry jobs market, studios have to offer remote-working, or at least a hybrid version of this. You will miss out on top talent if you only offer in-house working, and that is a truth that most studios have come to terms with.
COVID-19’S CONTINUING IMPACT The only thing that really delayed or held studios back from hiring in 2022 was lockdowns and the uncertainty surrounding them; particularly when looking for staff from another country. New Covid variants and ever-changing covid rules bring instability and uncertainty, as is to be expected. However, job growth seems inevitable in any case, and we expect this could be considerably stronger if society in general can remain stable.
REMEMBER BREXIT? Thus far, we haven’t noticed a remarkable change in hiring needs because of Brexit. The timing of the global pandemic has skewed the stats, so no one can accurately estimate the impact of Brexit so far for the games industry. The demand for more staff coupled with more barriers when trying to hire staff from abroad could mean companies are more likely to bring in less experienced people and train them on the job. Could it finally be time the games industry considers apprenticeships as a viable option? We don’t work with any studios that have an apprenticeship scheme in place, but this is something we’re keeping a close eye on, as it could be a viable path for both studios and job seekers.
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