The research was conducted by the recruitment company Values Value and the platform InGame Job.
After May 2023, a decline in the labor market began: the number of job vacancies gradually started decreasing, with some occasional fluctuations; however, a clear trend towards a reduction in job opportunities became apparent.
In December 2023, the number of job vacancies in the gaming industry in Ukraine even dropped below the levels observed at the beginning of the war in 2022.
Geography of Hiring
In the Ukrainian game development job market, there are two predominant options for employment: working in an office in Kyiv or remotely. This trend has remained consistent for several years. In 2023, the number of job vacancies with offices in Lviv reduced by approximately half compared to 2022. Additionally, the number of vacancies in Kharkiv decreased by almost 3.5 times, causing Kharkiv to drop from the fourth to the fifth position it held in 2022.
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The Most Hiring Companies in Ukraine
The list of the top hiring companies in 2023 has undergone significant changes compared to 2022. For instance, outsourcing companies such as Pingle or Kevuru are no longer in the top ranks.
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The Most In-Demand Jobs in 2023
In 2023, companies were most actively seeking professionals in the fields of art, programming, and marketing. Marketing regained its position in the top 3 most sought-after professional directions (it was in the 4th place in 2022).
Game designers dropped to the 6th position from the 3rd. Moreover, in 2023, companies were searching for support and sales managers almost twice as often as compared to 2022.
If in 2022 the most in-demand specialist in Ukraine was a Unity Developer, in 2023 it is a support agent. In 2022, a sales manager did not make it to the top list of most sought-after professionals at all, but in 2023, they surpassed C++ developers, QA specialists, and project managers in the ranking. An HR manager also made a comeback to the list! A positive sign 🙂
The Level of Wanted Specialists
In 2023, companies were looking for specialists at various levels, but there is no news here: the breakdown by levels remains in the same proportion as usual. Middles were sought more frequently than others. It is worth noting, however, that the number of vacancies for juniors and entry-level positions decreased by one and a half times.
C-Level Managers
It is worth noting that there was no reduction in vacancies for C-level positions in 2023. The most sought-after С-level managers in the gaming industry in 2023 are engaged in marketing, business development, sales, and analytics.
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