Trade body's third industry census highlights significant challenges in job stability and representation, alongside rise in neurodiversity and growing industry-wide sentiment gap
Image credit: UKIE News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on July 17, 2026 Follow Ukie 22% of UK games industry workers have experienced job loss in the last three years, including redundancies, studio closures, and the end of fixed-term contracts.
This data comes from UKIE, which has released the third edition of its industry census, now called the UK Games Industry Workforce Demographics Survey.
Professor Mark Taylor designed, conducted, and authored the survey, which is based on responses from 1,610 UK games industry professionals collected between November 2025 and January 2026.
This is a decrease from 3,603 respondents in the 2021 edition . UKIE noted these results are "best understood as a snapshot rather than an exhaustive audit."
"The findings reflect the experiences of those who took part during significant upheaval. Because both the industry and respondent base have changed since previous editions, they should be read on their own terms rather than compared directly with earlier findings," the report said.
The survey's primary focus was the effect of layoffs and studio closures, with 22% of respondents experiencing job loss in the past three years.
Half of respondents who left a job, including those who transitioned to new roles, secured new employment within three months. Those who have been searching for a new role for over a year are the most likely to plan to leave the industry altogether.
Non-binary (29%) and female (23%) respondents were more likely to have lost a job than men (20%), and writers and artists were disproportionately affected, with 44% and 31% reporting job losses, respectively.
The report identified a direct correlation between job loss and declining mental health, noting that job loss is often linked to increased mental health conditions.
Women comprise 33% of the workforce, which is significantly below the 49% in the broader UK workforce but similar to other European games industries.
5% of respondents identified as non-binary or another gender. 6% identified as trans, with 2% describing their gender as male or female and 4% as non-binary or another description.
Regarding age, 48% of respondents were 35 or older, while 7% were 25 or younger. The UK games workforce is predominantly White at 88%, with White British representation increasing in more senior roles.
1% of respondents identified as Black, and 5% as mixed, multiple ethnicities, or Asian. Ethnic minorities held only 6% of senior leadership roles in organisations with more than 24 employees.
24% of respondents hold a non-UK nationality, including 16% from the EEA. The data suggests advancing to senior positions by changing jobs has become harder for non-UK nationals, likely due to visa complexities.
33% of the UK games workforce identifies as LGBTQIA+, significantly higher than the national average of 3.7%.
While 81% of those surveyed are proud to be part of the UK games industry, only 38% would recommend it as a great place to work.
Women and non-binary respondents reported lower satisfaction with both their workplaces and the industry as a whole than men did.
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