According to research from BettingJobs, clients are increasingly interested in hiring for on-site or hybrid positions, and the percentage of remote postings has dropped by 25% from last year.
The gaming recruitment firm has released a report detailing trends in the industry, and these numbers highlight a move towards hybrid and on-site employment arrangements. It also revealed an increase in female hiring and a marked increase in the number of hires in the UAE and Latin America.
Independent contractor
Employees and employers alike have made remote work a central topic of conversation in the post-Covid employment market. Although necessary during the epidemic, remote work demonstrated to the employment market that most office tasks could be performed from home once we were permitted to return.
Working remotely has its advantages and disadvantages. Employees benefit from remote work in a number of ways, including not having to commute, having more control over their schedules (though this is arguable!), and a better work/life balance overall. People with disabilities or who reside in rural locations may find it more difficult to gain access to specific types of employment, but this creates opportunities for everyone.
However, working from home alone has the ability to negatively impact productivity and mental health.
Remote employment allows employers to diversify their workforce in terms of location and work hours while casting a worldwide net for talent. But working remotely requires a great deal of faith in employees to complete tasks as quickly and efficiently as they would in an office setting, which isn't always the case.
Female gamers
Also, according to data compiled by BettingJobs, the percentage of women working in technical and informational occupations has increased twofold since last year at this time. Overall, BettingJobs has placed 15% more women than the previous year, and the number of women in compliance roles has tripled in that time. The number of women appointed to executive positions in the betting sector has been on the rise, according to BettingJobs.
Companies have been talking a lot about how to increase the number of women in leadership positions recently, thanks to conferences attended by organisations like ASCEND, Saroca, and Global Gaming Women. This data is encouraging overall, but it is particularly encouraging in traditionally male-dominated industries like information technology.
The AmericasThe regulation of iGaming in Peru and sports betting in Brazil are examples of the exponential growth of the Latin American business in the last year. This means that compared to last year, BettingJobs has hired a lot more people for gaming jobs in the LatAm.
UAE
The number of placements done in the UAE by BettingJobs also increased significantly compared to the previous year. Several factors may have played a role in this, one of which being the ongoing construction of Ras Al Khaimah's Wynn Al Marjan Island, the country's first casino resort. This project was announced in the summer of 2022 and led to the establishment of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) in September 2023, the UAE's gaming regulator.
The licensing of the UAE lottery to Games LLC, which was concluded at the beginning of the month, may also have played a role, as did the regulation of lottery gambling.
As the legal gaming sector in the UAE is expected to be very profitable, the growing interest in recruiting in the country is a sign that corporations are expanding their presence in tandem with the industry's legalisation.
C-Level
In comparison to the previous year, BettingJobs was able to place 3.5 times as many C-Level executives in positions within the gaming industry. There are a number of possible causes for this, one of which is the present trend in the gaming business towards "background diversification," the practice of recruiting individuals from outside the industry or the company itself to offer fresh ideas and expertise.
A recent example of an out-of-industry hire is Mike Ybarra, who was appointed CEO of PrizePicks in August. In his new position as CEO, Ybarra succeeds Adam Wexler, who is transitioning into the role of Executive Chairman. Wexler was previously the President of Blizzard, the developer of popular video games including World of Warcraft and The Witcher. For nearly two decades, he was also Microsoft's corporate vice president.
To sum up, bringing in new blood at the C-suite level is a great way to keep companies inventive and fresh. A mixed strategy to building an executive team may be a happy medium, even though some may argue that promoting from inside is the best option because of the breadth and depth of their knowledge.
