The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Devolution of visa powers could solve games industry fears
Event sees industry bosses sit down with migration minister
Fears have been raised by leading figures from Scotland’s computer games companies about the impact changes to immigration could have on the industry.
At a round-table event at Abertay University yesterday, bosses from Dundee-based games design companies – including Biome Collective and Ninja Kiwi – met migration minister Ben Macpherson.
The Edinburgh MSP was told the number of people applying for jobs – in the city and nationally – was falling, with industry leaders saying Brexit was one of the main causes.
Mr Macpherson said figures showed students were continuing to come to Dundee to study games design but there were increasing difficulties in retaining them in the city and nationally.
Scotland’s computer games sector employs 1,285 people, generates just short of £100 million and recruits a significant number of employees from the EU.
The minister said one of the ways the Scottish Government was attempting to reverse the fall in staff was a proposal to devolve migration and visa powers to Scotland, essentially allowing an additional route for EU citizens to move to the country.
He said: “I met with industry leaders from the computer games industry at Abertay about their concerns regarding Brexit and the end of freedom of movement.
“They now report that there has been a drop in the number of applications because of the Brexit process and the uncertainty surrounding it.
“Businesses are concerned about the number of people leaving and a lack of applications for vacancies – this is making it harder for them to satisfy their projects. It is having a big impact on how they can continue to grow and attract the best talent possible.”
He said the prospect of a tailored migration solution for Scotland was becoming more attractive to businesses which felt let down by the homogeneous nature of the UK immigration system.
“People applying would need to work and live in Scotland and we can do that through residency checks,” he said.
Colin Macdonald, creative director at River Games and an attendee at the event, said: “Since the Brexit vote, virtually all of Dundee’s games companies have seen a dramatic decline in job applications from overseas candidates, which has severely limited the companies’ capabilities.
“Although there is obviously still huge uncertainty around the outcome of Brexit, we were pleased to hear from the minister that government and industry are aligned on trying to ensure Scottish companies have access to the best talent possible.”
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There has been a drop in the number of applications because of the Brexit process
Boris Johnson has staked his political life on getting Brexit done by the end of this month. Whether he succeeds is far from certain, but with Brexit looming large it is clear many firms are not properly prepared for the UK’s imminent withdrawal from the bloc.
One issue among many – access to skilled labour from overseas – was highlighted within Scotland computer games sector yesterday. It is a legitimate concern.
But, sadly with Brexit, there can be no concrete guarantees the situation will resolve itself satisfactorily.