Gaming Workforce Up By 2910% By 2023: Report

The female workforce in India's gaming industry has outpaced their male counterparts according to Primus Partners and EGROW’s research and analysis. India's gaming sector experienced a 20-fold increase in overall workforce between 2018 and 2023 with 97.56 CAGR. The workforce increased by 100 per cent in 2018 to 2910 per cent by 2023.

The report titled ‘India’s Booming Online Gaming Industry: A Potential Powerhouse’ mentioned that the male workforce exhibited a 69.88 per cent CAGR from 2018-23. Whereas, the female workforce expansion outpaced overall growth, achieving 103.15 per cent CAGR. The female workforce saw a notable gain of 740 per cent in 2020 while in 2021 saw an increase of 1640 per cent. The number of employees in the online gaming industry has grown at a CAGR of 97.5 per cent from 2018 to 2023 in India.

India is the second-largest gaming community globally. According to Microsoft's estimates, there are more than 2 billion online gamers worldwide. Out of this, there were approximately 455 million gamers in India in 2023 EY-FICCI report mentions.

Citing Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) data, the report highlights that the online gaming industry offered approximately 40,000 direct jobs in 2021. According to the EY-FICCI report, there were 1 lakh employees in 2023, and this number is expected to go up to 250,000 by 2025.

The rise of the real-money skill game industry also provides unconventional career opportunities for youths such as professional gamers, data scientists, UI/UX analysts, etc. Key skills required for such jobs are machine learning, Web 3.0, fintech, programming, cyber security, game mathematicians, product design, artificial intelligence, audio engineering, data science, animation, cloud computing, and psychology, the EGrow report adds.

Charan Singh, CEO & Founder Director of EGROW Foundation says, “The Indian online gaming industry is a significant contributor to our economy and a vital source of employment and innovation. With 455 million gamers in 2023, India boasts the second-largest gaming community globally after China. This thriving industry offers significant opportunities to attract FDI, create employment across various sectors, and enhance investment. Additionally, it is expected to stimulate allied industries such as fintech, cloud services, data analytics, and cybersecurity.”