Randstad US is wading into video games as a vertical. The company announced a partnership with Gamesmith, a digital community of more than 12,000 industry professionals that has relationships with “thousands” of studios.
The partnership will leverage Randstad’s infrastructure and offer access to technology professionals who may not have ever before considered working in the $118 billion industry.
.@Randstad announced a partnership with video game community @Gamesmith_Inc as industry faces surge in demand. #HR #HRTech Click To Tweet“The gaming industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and it needs a pipeline of talent to help fuel this growth,” said Josh Vesely, Randstad’s enterprise and integrated talent solutions Leader. “To capitalize on this moment and close a worsening skills gap, the industry needs to expand its talent base and consider new, alternative methods of hiring.”
The partnership comes as video games experience a surge in demand. At the height of the pandemic, 55% of American consumers turned to video games for entertainment, boosting global sales by 20% and creating almost 20,000 jobs, Randstad said. The unemployment rate for professionals with gaming development and design skills is now near zero.
Riding the Wave
Employment in the industry has been steadily growing over the last decade. About 124,000 people worked in gaming in 2010, according to Statista. By 2020, the number of employees was 241,000.
Gamesmith Founder Alex Churchill said the partnership with Randstad will provide “new opportunities for the community’s members. “Traditional hiring practices have changed during Covid-19 and partnering with Randstad allows our community to benefit from their experience,” he said.
The industry is gearing up for product and technology changes this year, said media reports. Augmented and virtual reality, console upgrades, incorporating more diversity into game narratives, new mobile games are among the areas expected to add momentum to the industry’s growth, said the consulting firm Linchpin. Some analysts also expect Gaming as a Service to gain traction.
Image: Gamesmith
