According to a study by BettingJobs, the number of remote placements by clients has decreased by 25% compared to last year, as more clients now want to hire staff for on-site or hybrid work.

These statistics, part of a broader report from the gaming recruitment firm, show a trend toward hybrid and on-site work in gaming. They also showed a significant increase in the number of new hires in Latin America and the United Arab Emirates, as well as more new hires of women in the industry.

Remote work

In the post-Covid job market, remote work has become a key topic of conversation among employees and employers. While it was a necessity during the pandemic, remote work has shown the job market that even after we are allowed to return to the office, most of what could be done in the office can also be done from home.

Remote work has pros and cons for both sides. For employees, remote work means no commuting, a better work-life balance (though that’s debatable!), and more opportunities to show their independence. It also opens doors for those who struggle in certain jobs, such as people with disabilities or those living in remote areas.

However, working exclusively from home can lead to isolation and impact both productivity and mental health.

On the employer side, remote work means they can build a global network for talent sourcing while also being able to vary work hours depending on where employees are located. However, remote work also means having to trust that employees will complete the work assigned to them with the same speed and efficiency as they would in an office environment – something that cannot always be guaranteed.

Women in the gaming industry

Elsewhere, data from BettingJobs showed that the number of women in IT and technical roles has doubled compared to the same period last year. The number of women in compliance roles has also tripled year-on-year, with the total number of jobs for women placed by BettingJobs increasing by 15% year-on-year. BettingJobs also reported a rise in the number of women in senior roles in the industry.

With the increasing visibility of women in leadership roles and the presence of groups like ASCEND, Saroca and Global Gaming Women at industry conferences, bringing more women into leadership roles is a big talking point in companies, so these statistics are promising, especially in fields like IT, which are typically dominated by men.

Latin AmericaThe Latin American market has grown exponentially in the last year, with examples including the regulation of iGaming in Peru and the regulation of sports betting in Brazil. BettingJobs has placed significantly more people in gaming positions in Latin America than in the previous year.

United Arab Emirates

The number of placements in the UAE has also increased significantly on BettingJobs, with far more placements being made in the country than in the previous year. Several factors may have contributed to this, including the continued development of the country’s first casino resort, Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, which was announced in summer 2022 and led to the establishment of the UAE’s gaming regulator, the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), in September 2023.

The regulation of lottery gaming may also have played a role. This was completed earlier this month with the awarding of the license to operate the UAE lottery to Games LLC.

In any case, the growing interest in hiring staff in the UAE is an indication that companies are expanding their presence in parallel with the development of the legalized industry, as a legalized gambling industry in the UAE would likely prove to be lucrative.

C-level

Overall, BettingJobs has placed 3.5x more C-level executives across the gaming industry compared to last year. Several factors may contribute to this, including the gaming industry’s current push for background diversification, which is asking companies to hire from outside the industry or their company to bring new perspectives and skills to the market.

Recent examples of non-industry hires include the August hiring of Mike Ybarra as CEO of PrizePicks. Ybarra takes over from former CEO Adam Wexler (who will assume the role of executive chairman) and is a former president of Blizzard, the gaming company behind titles such as The Witcher and World of Warcraft. He was also corporate VP at Microsoft for nearly 20 years.

That said, bringing in new ideas at the C-level by bringing in fresh blood is one method of keeping companies fresh and innovative. While some call for promoting internal talent to these roles due to their depth of knowledge, a blended approach to assembling a company’s leadership team can prove to be a good middle ground.