Sega exec warns of skills shortage
SEGA boss Mike Hayes has warned the UK could be heading for a digital skills shortage.
In an interview with City A.M. the European boss of the gaming giant said he is forced to hire a lot of staff from outside the UK because of a chronic lack of programming skills.
He said: “We could face a skills shortage in this country. The programming skills being taught in the UK are very poor.”
He said he is “encouraged” by the interest being shown by the government but warned that even if action is taken now it could still take years to catch up.
The UK is the world’s third biggest gaming hub, with exports of more than £2bn a year – “there aren’t many things you could say we are third best at”, said Hayes.
He said he would welcome tax breaks in the UK, similar to those in countries such as Canada, but said Sega has no plans to shift its UK production base.
He described the UK games scene as “vibrant”, adding that digital downloads are becoming an increasingly important part of the games market place, now totalling 15 per cent of Sega’s sales.