ALASTAIR CLELAND, Managing Director – Pentasia
The global economy is in considerable turmoil. Uncertainty is now the prevailing condition in the business world, and this will undoubtedly affect recruitment and jobs.
In fact, the downward trend in recruitment (all sectors) is already clearly evident and cross-sector job losses will be considerable.
Whilst much of the iGaming sector has characteristics that make it comparatively resilient to this crisis, no business will be immune in the difficult times that lie ahead. Sports betting businesses are already feeling the brunt of the hardship now, and others will come to face impossibly tough decisions too.
Jobs in the iGaming sector, clearly, will be in jeopardy. And sadly, despite all best efforts, many of these losses will be unavoidable.
And yet, it is the talented people who work in our sector that will be needed most if we are to find a way out of this crisis. People are the critical component of every business. It is absolutely critical that we work tirelessly to protect every job that we can.
In fact, if we are to grow out of these terrible events, the retention and – yes – even acquisition of new staff will be vital.
Positive potential does exist for the iGaming sector, with casino, virtual sports and eSports well placed to sustain or increase business in the coming months. In these areas, demand for skilled talent will remain high.
It has been truly heartening, then, to witness already the signs of continued confidence and commitment to our talented workforces in this difficult time. Pentasia’s consultants are in continuous consultation with employers and have heard positive signs already in the past few days.
Many employers who recently were taking tentative steps towards embracing remote working, have now begun accelerating work-from-home plans by necessity. In some cases, the conditions we find ourselves in will even open new opportunities to hire talented candidates whose location was previously a barrier.
We have, even since the crisis has escalated, taken numerous new briefings from employers hiring staff for positions in tech, marketing, sales and other roles. There is so much that can be done, even in the face of adverse conditions.
Wherever possible, individuals’ skills should be put to the best possible use to ensure continuity. This may require new ways of working, new modes of employment and never-before-seen approaches to staff management.
The iGaming sector, we know, has the creativity, skill and determination to find a path through – one that retains as much of its talented workforce as possible and ensures strength for the future.
Of course, for many in the sector, there will absolutely be difficult times ahead. Such an enormous shock to society and the economy will certainly create impossible decisions for many companies. Job losses are never desirable but may become inevitable.
As an agency who truly cares about the prosperity of our industry and its professional community, Pentasia is committed to doing all we can to assist both businesses and individuals at this hugely challenging time.
We will be inviting professionals newly seeking employment to register with us at pentasia.com and will advocate strongly where we feel valuable skills can be put to good use.
Video interviews are already a widely-used format, and we will be supporting businesses to ensure that these can be utilised to conduct meaningful and effective recruitment processes. (We are putting together a full guide on this, which will be published soon.)
Our partner business, iGaming Academy – which last week announced a new partnership with Totally Gaming Academy – is also moving to make its full programme of training available online. This comes in addition to its already large catalogue of eLearning courses. Training, and in particular re-skilling, will offer further pathways to continued employment for many.
Confidence and optimism will be key for getting through this, both as individuals, as businesses and as an industry. We truly hope that by coming together and supporting our talented professional community, we will emerge from the crisis still strong.
