Career opportunities are growing in Guildford’s digital and tech sectors

Career opportunities are growing in Guildford’s digital and tech sectors where there are now more vacancies than job seekers.

Jobs site Adzuna has listed Guildford as one of the top two places in the country (just behind Cambridge) where job openings in its high-performing digital and tech sectors now outnumber jobseekers.

Speaking on BBC Radio Surrey in response to the survey, Enterprise M3’s Games and Immersive Tech sector specialist Sam Read said the survey was evidence of the value the digital economy is bringing to the region and encouraged people to think of the sector as a future career opportunity.

“When Guildford comes out on top in a report like this, our local games industry is always a driving force behind those figures,” he said. “Guildford has been inventing entire genres of games since the 1980s, defining what videogames are. That’s the reason why Guildford is known as the Hollywood of Games.

“I am confident that the games industry will remain a secure job market. Lockdown has only proven its resilience further, partly because games are so important to people. Their positive impact on people’s mental wellbeing is immeasurable. In a globally stressful situation, the world reached for its game controllers.

“Growing up, I had no idea that so many of the games I loved were created so close to home. I’m passionate about spreading the word and highlighting its career opportunities to everyone locally; you don’t have to excel at maths, or be a great coder to work in games; if you are a writer, designer, artist, animator, or even good at building communities on social media, there are job opportunities locally waiting for you.”

Digital industries are a key focus for the Enterprise M3 LEP which sees them playing a key role in the future of the area’s economy. With support from the LEP, the Department of International Trade has recently identified the Gaming sector as a key industry in the EM3 region and has dubbed its offering a High Potential Opportunity for investors.

Sam was joined on the Radio Surrey interview by Louise Punter, Chief Executive of Surrey Chamber of Commerce, who added that it was important young people consider what skills will be needed in the future and that it was good news that Guildford’s vibrant digital sector was providing some positivity about the local economy’s recovery.

She added that in recent survey by the Chamber, although a large number of companies were still reducing staff, 14% had stated they were increasing their staff levels, even in some sectors such as hospitality which had been hard hit by the COVID-19 lockdown.