Initiatives of theHamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft
The omnipresent shortage of skilled labour is also affecting the creative industry. We asked an agency, a publishing house and a games studio how they recruit young talent and experts. The credo: employers are facing increasingly fierce competition.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020, skilled workers have migrated from the creative industries to supposedly safer sectors, such as events. How has your company fared during this time?
Dera, Oetinger: Fortunately, the pandemic didn't hit us that hard. Demand for children's and young adult books remained strong, which also meant that we were able to increase sales by around 11 per cent in 2020. However, we noticed that new publications had a harder time getting noticed at all because there was a lack of presentation in bookshops. Our classics, such as Astrid Lindgren or The Hunger Games, were popular during this time, which of course helped us. What we are still feeling strongly today, however, is the paper and logistics crisis - since then, nothing can be planned for the long term. The effects of the war in Ukraine and the overall economic situation, including rising energy prices and a slump in consumption, are also having an impact, as can be seen in the overall view of the book market.
Simon Guenther feels at home by the sea and in human resources. Having grown up on the Baltic coast, his life has been characterised by his proximity to the water: Kiel was followed by Tallinn, the Australian coast - and finally Hamburg. in 2013, he joined Goodgame Studios as a recruiter for three years and returned to the company in summer 2022 as Head of Talent Acquisitions. With more than 500 million registered users worldwide, Goodgame Studios is a leading company for the development of free-to-play online games for web and mobile platforms.
"We help companies that say: I'm going to change" is the vision of 360-degree design agency and brand consultancy MUTABOR, for which Julia Peukert works as Head of Organisation & People. As the former head of the Art Buying department, she knows the will to change: after three years in the position, she became self-employed and completed her studies in work and organisational psychology at the University of Wuppertal. in 2019, she became Head of Human Resources at hartmannvonsiebenthal in Berlin, then Head of Talent Acquisition at the Berlin-based communications agency familie redlich. The 48-year-old Berliner has been back at MUTABOR since August 2022.
Susanne Dera is motivated to support people in making the best possible use of their skills. As the head of various HR departments in the creative industry and a systemic coach, she has been doing this for more than 16 years. Before joining the Oetinger publishing group, which specialises in children's and young adult books, as Head of People & Culture in 2021, she was responsible for teams in the games industry and at various agencies. Most recently, she worked for over five years as Director People & Culture at the creative agency Kolle Rebbe, now Accenture Song.
Peukert, MUTABOR: Many companies have used the time to transform their brand and emerge stronger from the crisis. With our focus on brand development, holistic communication consulting and digitalisation, we are naturally an attractive partner. The "communication in space" business is once again a stable pillar after the end of the crisis, but the "hybridisation" megatrend means we are now pursuing completely new goals here. Our order books are super full and we are delighted about that.
"The industry has experienced a real boom because many people have turned to video games in search of entertainment and distraction."
Guenther, Goodgame Studios: The entire gaming industry has undergone an incredible transformation. The industry has experienced a real boom because many people have turned to video games in search of entertainment and distraction. We have also been able to observe this trend and have noticed an increase in active gamers. Of course, we as a company have also had to adapt to the new reality, which means more opportunities for remote working and virtual collaboration. Fortunately, the future continues to look promising in terms of demand, including for coronavirus.
Does that also mean that your employees have stayed?
Guenther: We haven't had any fluctuation due to the pandemic. At Goodgame Studios, we have long endeavoured to create an environment in which creative minds can express themselves as freely as possible - to ensure that they stay.
Dera: We can't see that happening either. We still have a low fluctuation rate. Of course, there are always employees who decide to take on a different challenge, but we don't see them moving to another industry. It is also not the case with us that certain professional groups tend to leave the company. One example: In advertising, for example, many production staff are reorienting themselves because fewer and fewer print adverts are being produced. This is different for us, as books are still our core business. But of course we are also feeling the effects of the skills shortage. Even before the pandemic, we were already expanding our product range for strategic reasons and are increasingly developing digital and hybrid products. That's why we need people with expertise in these areas, such as e-commerce, SEO, content management and UI/UX.
"Potential applicants are increasingly looking for companies that offer them long-term prospects, security and a good work-life balance. These are all qualities that don't immediately bring the agency sector to mind."
Peukert : We have also felt the shortage of skilled labour since the pandemic, especially in the areas of consulting, project management and strategy. Potential applicants are increasingly looking for companies that offer long-term prospects, security and a good work-life balance. These are all qualities that don't immediately bring the agency sector to mind. The question of the meaning of work has also become even more important since the pandemic. Agencies must increasingly find an answer to these issues. We are doing this on various levels: a generous holiday policy, the opportunity to work flexibly in terms of time and location, 30 days of workation per year. And we endeavour to compensate overtime with time off in a timely manner. In addition, we endeavour to support all employees in their personal development in the best possible way - through regular feedback meetings, our own Mutabor Academy and regular reviews with the entire team. It is important to us that we actively involve our employees in shaping their work and our corporate culture.
And how do you reach the next generation?
Dera: The crux of the matter for us is that we are not yet on the agenda as a "self-evident" employer for the specialists that we lack. Many editors still apply to us, but not necessarily digital product managers. However, we are mainly looking for senior-level crew members in this area. As far as young talent is concerned, we rely a lot on collaborations with universities and increasingly use our social media channels. Experience shows that careers fairs are not the method of choice for us. It is much more effective to get involved in the relevant industry networks. For example, some universities offer speed dating for young candidates, which we are very happy to take advantage of. We always get to know exciting talents for a mandatory internship or direct entry as a junior. This gives us the opportunity to make ourselves tangible as an employer and we find out in dialogue with the candidates: are we a good fit?
"The crux of the matter for us is that we are not yet necessarily on the agenda as a logical employer for the digital specialists that we lack."
Guenther: A shortage of skilled labour is not really a big issue for us. However, the recruitment process is fundamentally a challenge for us too, as we compete with many other creative companies. One advantage for us, however, is that many young people are keen to work in the gaming industry. We also cooperate with universities and colleges, are active on online networks and job boards and offer an internal employee referral programme. What we have noticed is that applicants' wishes have changed in recent years: Topics such as work-life balance, diversity and inclusion have come to the fore.
"The younger generation is very self-confident and takes a close look at their future employers."
Peukert: I can confirm that. The younger generation is very self-confident and takes a close look at their future employers. It is therefore very important for us to get in touch with students and trainees at an early stage. We rely heavily on cooperation with universities - we hold lectures, give seminars and invite people to our agency. We also regularly offer internships and working student positions in all units. This has proved very successful: Many of them are offered permanent positions with us directly after completing their studies. Since last year, we have also been a practice partner of the HSBA Cooperative State University in Hamburg - a decision with which we are very satisfied!
