The video game sector has seen significant growth in recent years. We take stock of some fundamental issues. Final case: employment challenges.
The labor shortage is also affecting the video game industry in Quebec, but in a very unique way: in this industry, it is currently the lack of seniors that is of concern. Furthermore, France's new national requirements for migrant workers do not make the task of Quebec recruiters any easier in this globalized sector, whose market is estimated at $250 billion.
“Several studios lack experienced employees,” explains Devoir Jean-Jacques Hermans, general director of the Quebec Video Game Guild for almost two years. The non-profit organization brings together the driving forces of the industry, independent and international developers, creative people and educational institutions, i.e. more than 300 members, making it the largest association of its kind in the world.
A senior usually leads a team of around ten people. The fundamental changes in the video game industry cluster in recent years have exacerbated the shortage of officers compared to ordinary soldiers. The pandemic has spawned a new wave of independent studio startups, some from recent industry graduates and others from veterans who left large, established studios to go into business on their own.
The guild is putting pressure on Quebec to make it easier to recruit replacement elders abroad. Two elements stand in the way: the slow processing of immigration files and the Frenchization of immigrant workers.
“We are in talks with the government because the new immigration rules will affect us,” says Jean-Jacques Hermans. We compete with Ontario, Great Britain and the United States, and it is easier for an experienced English-speaking worker to go there than to come here with the obligation to master French in six months. Despite all our efforts at francization, and there are many of them, this element still remains an obstacle, especially for seniors. We remain hopeful that the discussions will progress and the problems will subside. »
And the young people?
The training of young talent brings with it other special challenges. The organization Synthesis – Pôle Image Québec was founded five years ago to meet specific educational needs in industries linked to video games, animation or immersive projection.
“Companies have contacted the Ministry of Higher Education to inform them of their quantitative and qualitative labor problems,” explains Brigitte Monneau, general director of Synthesis. Graduates were not always ready to enter the job market. »
She gives the concrete example of soft skills, transversal skills. Some companies regret that the graduates they hire are not used to working in a team or taking certain comments calmly about the quality of their work.
The Ministry has heard the recommendation to promote ad hoc learning through internships and mentoring, but also further training, as this high-tech sector is constantly evolving. “One of our much more transversal areas of intervention requires us to observe what is changing and then adapt instruction,” adds Principal Monneau. In a report published two years ago, Synthesis spoke about the future impact of artificial intelligence on jobs in the industry.
Mr. Hermans says specialized post-secondary schools produce about 900 graduates of their various programs each year. The pandemic and its restrictions that favored indoor entertainment led to hiring and crackdowns in 2021 and 2022. This market then experienced a shortage with around 6,500 job losses in the United States at the beginning of last year and then a renewed upswing in recent years.
Training entrepreneurs in the industry also presents challenges. Independent studios are proliferating and the industry is faced with an urgent need to help market productions while protecting the most promising shoots from foreign takeover.