TIGA: Half of UK game devs found it difficult to fill vacancies in 2024

Half of games businesses in the UK found it difficult to fill vacancies in their workforce in 2024 due to skill shortages within the sector.

This is according to TIGA's 2024 Skills Report, which surveyed 26 games businesses employing 13% of the UK games development workforce this September.

32% of respondents said the industry still faces skill shortages, directly impacting specific disciplines within the sector. Art was the most affected at 41%, followed by programming at 30% and design at 11%.

There was also a lack of experience in data science, production, audio, community management, consumer support, marketing, and quality assurance.

The impact of these skill shortages can be felt across entire teams, with 65% of respondents noting that workload had increased. 54% of studios also said that projects had been delayed, and half of those surveyed found an increased need to outsource work.

Elsewhere, the report also looked into skill gaps within studios. While 90% of games businesses said their teams were fully proficient, areas such as management, communication, and coding suffered from a lack of training.

The report also found that games companies recruit 78% of new hires from within the industry, 21% as recent graduates, and only 2% from apprenticeships.

"Skill shortages in the UK games industry have declined, but not evaporated," said TIGA CEO Dr Richard Wilson.

"An undersupply of experienced specialists and the creation of new roles driven by technological and commercial developments for which relatively new people can fill, combine to generate skill shortages in the UK games industry. For certain roles there is a shortage of applicants with the required skills, experience, or qualifications."

"Encouragingly, skill gaps in the games development workforce are limited. Games businesses believe that most of their teams are fully proficient in their roles. However, there are some key areas where the UK Government could provide further support to our important creative sector, particularly in education and training."