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

Half of UK gaming companies struggled to fill workforce vacancies in 2024 due to skills shortages within the sector.

This is according to TIGA’s Skills Report 2024, which surveyed 26 games companies employing 13% of the UK game development workforce in September.

32% of respondents said the industry still faces skills 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, customer service, marketing and quality control.

The impact of this skills shortage can be felt across entire teams: 65% of respondents noted that workload had increased. 54% of studies also stated that projects had been delayed and half of respondents found a greater need to outsource work.

Elsewhere, the report also looked at skills gaps within studies. While 90% of gaming companies said their teams were fully competent, areas such as management, communication and coding suffered from a lack of training.

The report also found that gaming companies hire 78% of new employees within the industry, 21% as recent graduates and just 2% as apprentices.

“The skills shortage in the UK games industry has diminished, but it has not evaporated,” said Dr Richard Wilson, chief executive of TIGA.

“The shortage of experienced specialists and the creation of new roles driven by technological and business developments that can be filled by relatively new people combine to create skills shortages in the UK games industry. For certain roles there are shortages of applicants with the necessary skills, experience or qualifications.”

“It is encouraging that skills gaps in the game development workforce are limited. game companies believe that the majority of their teams are fully competent in their roles. However, there are some key areas in which the government of the “The UK could provide greater support to our important creative sector, particularly in education and training.”