Tiga calls Govt to scrap planned immigration cap as studios struggle to find new talent
The UK’s pool of talented game developers is visibly sinking, new data suggests, as industry association Tiga calls on Whitehall to abolish its proposed migrant worker cap.
New survey research from Tiga found that 39 per cent of UK game businesses “found it fairly or very difficult to fill vacancies in their organisation’s workforce during 2009”.
Programming, design and management positions were hardest vacancies to fill for developers that experienced skill shortages last year, Tiga said.
The new data comes as the UK faces a very real threat of a rapidly decreasing industry workforce, with foreign employment bodies habitually finding opportunities - such as trade shows – to tempt UK devs out of the country.
Tiga recently condemned the coalition government’s proposal to cap the number of non-EU immigrants arriving in the UK, and again has urged a rethink in light of falling the new data.
Advertisement
The Home Office said it will limit the number of non-EU immigrant workers to 24,100 - down around by five per cent - between now and April 2011.
Said Tiga CEO Richard Wilson: “UK game developers rely on highly creative, technical people with skills and qualifications in areas such as design, programming, artificial intelligence, animation, mathematics and physics. Such skilled people are not easy to find.
Wilson also has called in the Coalition to use bigger wage incentives to attract better teachers in schools, as well as highlight the video games industry as a career option at school.
Philip Oliver, the CEO of Blitz Studios and a Tiga board member, echoed Wilson’s claims.
“Many game developers invest time and money in workforce development and in education outreach programmes. The Government could help many small games businesses to invest in skills and training by introducing a Training Tax Relief.”
From a completely selfish view as a student this somewhat makes me feel better about finding a job in the industry after my 3 year degree course.
I don't quite understand how there is a skills shortage and how companies have struggled to get a workforce together.
I have recently graduated from a course with most people aiming for the games industry, I can't think of anyone having managed to get a job in that sector, and rarely does one get a reply to an application, implying there are too many applicants to choose from to give feedback to every application.
Considering that the studios are turning down people with many years industry experience, simply because they don't have a degree, no wonder they are not filling roles.
The industry has chosen to not fill the roles, why? I would love to know the reason myself!
I would like to know more about this shortage and what it takes to get a foot into a job in the games industry. As i tried for 2 years with no success and just move into another field.
I find this difficult to believe. Is there really a skills shortage? Or are we unable to keep good developers/talent in an industry that asks a lot from employees in return for mediocre rewards. Unfortunately the industry hasn't matured. We whine that graduates aren't the finished article but don't train them, we complain about a loss of talent when most companies are poorly managed, we moan about games education but don't engage with our colleges/universities. We really could do so much better...
Surely the question is why is there a shortage of skilled & experienced individuals? Do we have absolutely no new talented people looking to come into the industry? I doubt it.
I know of all too many people leaving the industry either because they can't get an opportunity due to most places requiring significant experience or moving to another sector in order to earn a more substantial income. The UK industry can't complain about a lack of talent when they fail to develop the many promising people out there desperate for an opportunity.
Maybe Tiga are just looking to bring in talent from throughout the world but surely rather than complaining about not being able to bring in talent, we should encourage the development of new talent.
Agreed with all the above. After many years in games, (including many other well known UK dev's), I have encountered a dreadfull attitude to talent and skills. The bad planning, poor managing, and usual politics has pushed many experienced staff out of the industry and into other fields and over seas. This along with a lack of investment in new ideas has turned us into a factory sweat shop. Highly skilled artists and designers have become outsource managers to far east companies. Don't blame the uni's don't blame the staff, and don't look at even cheaper overseas staff to make up the numbers. The companies have to make a difference. As for training, I have never been helped or mentored at any studio, and when I have done that, it's a black mark for being non-productive. The games industry reaps what it sow's and eventually will be nothing except for a few phone app creators and cheap downloads makers. Oh and if you value staff that much, pay them a professional wage to stay and listen to there ideas...you never know chaps, maybe you will learn a thing or two.
If there are any companies with Skills shortages that can be filled by bright new entrants, get in touch and I'll introduce you to our accredited courses- benchmarked against industry criteria. Start a dialogue with them, I'm happy to broker. Saintw at Skillset dot org
It may just be that in some cases its not a skills shortage- just a disconnect.
However if there's a shortage of more experienced staff, then look at what other industries do- film has a production levy that goes into training. One percent of the price of every game sold might solve things?
This is a really weak press release. “39% found it fairly or very difficult to fill vacancies”. Doesn’t this imply that 61% didn’t have a problem? Also this “story” is about a survey in 2009! It’s nearly 2011 TIGA! Working in education I can’t speak for the games industry but this is the worst year since 2002 for immediate graduate employment for our MSc Games Programming students; and the few recruiters I’ve spoken to in the past months have commented on the scarcity of positions available.
I’m probably being over cynical but this has all the hallmarks of a primer story for a “Train2Game filling the skills shortage” press release in a couple of weeks. Perfect evidence for there salesmen.
I disagree with some others above me and find that your information is helpful, not lacking. I guess it's in the eye of the beholder, though.
TIGA. What a self serving, selfish cabal of industry "leaders" who are still living on past glories.
And stop complaining, the government's no longer listening to you.
Development companies have had their hands tied since the UK laws changed in the mid 90s forcing companies to employee any long term consulatants and giving all employees too many right across the board.
This means it is now hard to get rid of mediocre staff (now you have to get rid of the position - and try getting rid of a lead programmer position). It is also more difficult to pay different employees different amounts based on their value to the company.
On top of this a whole raft of not so necessary middle management staff have appeared all over the place who, if they hae control over such matters are all intent on ensuring that they are paid no less than the top dev staff... even though they are infinitely more common and thus more disposable than a top quality programmer, designer, producer or artist.
All of these things have resulted in evryone being treated the same (ie like university leavers or advanced university leavers and NOT like skilled professionals) This has driven wages down, down, down and sent many of our best people abroad, I know so many people I used to work with now in California, Texas, Australia and Canada.
The only thing that will entice them back is more respect and more money... they do not want to be equalised out with recent university leavers and overseas guys coming in because the wages they can earn in the UK are worth comparitively more for them when they send the money back home.
The way to get skill sback in this country is to use professional prejudice based on merit.
Reward the top guys handsomely and they will repay in kind, if they don't sack them.
Treat the less experienced guys as the equivalent of a football reserves team.... see who rises to the top and sit them with the A Team... and let the weaker guys go.
The reason many people can't find the right people with the skills and the experience is because they can't push them around and pay them peanuts they don't know what to do with these people once you have got them
I kinda agree with Jon Hare, one of the reasons why is the games industry is so short staffed is it is very cliquey and people not part of that tend to get treated badly until they finally just leave the industry. It certainly happened to me.
The problem occurs when those cliques get promoted and then there is no one replace them at the lower levels leading to a shortage.
I have to agree with most of what has been said above. I think this skills shortage line has been pushed to its limits. I dont see a shortage in any area of the games industry.
I do however see a rise in adverts for train2game and also an attempt to attract funding from NESTA.
If it looks like a duck, it sounds like a duck then it is probably a duck.
All this achieves is a large number of disillusioned youngsters who are being told there is a skills shortage yet cannot get jobs. By the time the truth of the matter is revealed Train2Game have fleeced them for £5000 and NESTA have pumped millions into organisations like TIGA to perpetuate the lies which in turn leads to more funding etc
There is no skills shortage. I know plenty of devs with tons of skills and experience who can't get jobs. There is however a shortage of the willingness to pay for that experience, hence the drain to Canada and elsewhere.
I think I would take an opposing stance to this articles views, seeing as I myself am currently a student looking far and wide for an internship and finding nary a whisper of response to my applications. The industry needs to be more interactive with universities, or even with the many application I am sure they must get daily if they are to find people that suit their needs/
