A survey from games recruitment firm Skillsearch has found that overall, 44% of respondents have considered leaving the industry due to redundancies. In the UK, 76% said they will be or are considering job hunting outside of the industry in 2026.
The annual Salary & Satisfaction survey collected responses from 1,000 respondents across the UK, Europe, North America, APAC, and MENA regions between November 12, 2025 and February 24, 2026.
22% of respondents had been made redundant in the past year, and 12% said they had been made redundant more than 12 months ago. The leading causes of redundancies were reduced investor funding, budget cuts, and a lack of projects.
Only 35% of respondents said that they or their studio had been unaffected by redundancies, while 28% said their studio had made layoffs, but they weren’t personally affected.
Of those who had been laid off, 45% have since secured new employment. However, only 27% said they feel secure in their new role.
In terms of the time to find a new job, 21% said they were able to secure employment in less than a month, while 33% said it took between one and three months, 20% said it took between four and six months, 19% said it took seven to 12 months, and 8% said it took more than a year.
Art was listed as one of the “most impacted areas of redundancy.” Other impacted areas include senior roles, companies with more than 250 employees, and people with 10+ years of experience. The UK was listed as the most impacted country.
Many professionals in key regions are considering new roles in 2026, citing concerns about job security, compensation, and opportunities for more challenging projects. 53% of people would consider relocating for a new job if it offered a higher salary and relocation package, though job security and cost of living remain concerns. 38% have declined offers due to inadequate relocation packages.
Elsewhere, the survey found that nearly half of game professionals are concerned about increased AI use, and 64% believe it negatively affects industry creativity.
Respondents’ top concerns about AI were job security, loss of creative authenticity, and ethical use. They also highlighted benefits such as increased efficiency, cost savings, and greater output from smaller teams.
More than half of respondents reported that they or their company have adopted AI tools, while 29% said their company has ethical AI policies or guidelines.
Looking at the overall workforce, it remains predominantly male at 74%, with the majority of respondents falling into the 25 to 34 (39%) and 35 to 44 (37%) age groups. 66% of respondents are in permanent employment, while almost half have over ten years of industry experience.
In the UK, which accounts for 43% of responses, average salaries were £199,833 for C-suite roles, £110,442 for directors, and £30,357 for junior positions. Director-level roles in programming and business operations are the highest paid, at £130,963 and £112,495, respectively.
