Guildford: Games sector provides jobs boost

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

According to Enterprise M3, 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 video games 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."

Digital industries are a key focus for the Enterprise M3 LEP which sees them playing a significant 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.