Occupations in the Digital Entertainment / Interactive Media Industry
New immigrants to BC are projected to fill more than 30 per cent of all job openings in the province over the next 10 years.
Digital Entertainment & Interactive Media Occupations in Demand in BC:
| Occupation | Job Openings 2019-2029 |
| Computer programmers and interactive media developersincludes game developers | 6,290 |
| Graphic Designers & Illustratorsincludes animation artists | 4,700 |
| Graphics Arts Techniciansincludes animation technicians, computer graphics technicians, digital effects specialists, multimedia sound specialists | 300 |
Current Workforce
According to the Canadian Interactive Alliance, the majority of the current interactive digital media (IDM) workforce in Canada is employed in technical (40%) or creative positions (39%) with the remainder in business/administration roles. In Canada’s current IDM talent pool, the most lacking skills are ranked as: (1) technical digital skills, followed by (2) business & leadership skills and (3) production management & pipeline skills (ability to work in integrated process flow and collaborate with colleagues).
Future Workforce
In terms of future demand, the highest frequency of projected future hires among Interactive Digital Media (IDM) companies in Canada is for creative talent at the intermediate level and technical talent at the intermediate and senior levels. Looking ahead to future demand for key skills, IDM companies in Canada anticipate that the top in-demand skills will be technical digital skills, artistic & creative skills, and business & leadership skills.
Source: 2012 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile Final Research Report
New employment opportunities are also emerging in the digital entertainment & interactive media industry. These include a wide range of occupations such as:
- 3D character animator
- 3D generalist
- 3D graphics developer
- animation artist
- animation layout designer
- digital artist
- digital effects specialist
- digital graphics designer
- FX technical director
- game developer
- games monetization specialist
- graphic designer (multimedia, interactive)
- interactive media developer
- mobile developer
- multimedia developer
- render wrangler
- shading artist
- technical animator
- unity developer / unity 3D game developer
- user experience designer
- Visual effects (VFX) artist
For more information, see: