We talk about the state of the iGaming and blockchain talent market in Malta and Gibraltar with James Walsh, co-founder of recruitment startup iGain.

With the iGaming, blockchain and cryptocurrency industries booming in Malta, and Brexit uncertainties plaguing Gibraltar, we caught up with James Walsh, Co-Founder of Malta-based specialist recruitment startup iGain, to find out more about the current state of the talent market.

What made you decide to start am iGaming recruitment company, given its quite a crowded market?

It is a crowded market but there is also significant growth in iGaming right now throughout Europe. While we focus on iGaming we also see an increasing number of candidates we work with moving to emerging markets such as Blockchain and Cryptocurrency. iGaming has always been cutting edge in terms of technology, payments and fraud management and we see these skills are in high demand in other industries.

We have also recognized that there is a gap in the market for a more ‘old school’ and hands on recruitment consultancy to enter the market. We have very quickly built some solid partnerships with some of the largest global operators who have been looking for a more reliable recruitment partner.  We believe in quality over quantity and always strive to introduce highly qualified candidates with the right cultural fit to our partners.

At AYO.NEWS we’ve repeatedly heard both recruiters and employers warn about a skills gap and the crisis of unsuitable education. Do you have any thoughts on this?

This is certainly a narrative that you repeatedly hear in the industry today. However, you can also notice that there are some companies out there that never complain about the skills gap or unsuitable education.

The question you need to be asking is what are these companies doing differently? From our experience, they hire from the same talent pool but often take the time to build career progression and educational upskilling to existing staff members to fill their internal vacancies.

In a candidate driven market such as Malta it is common to jump between jobs relatively quickly and in iGain’s experience it is common to see candidates looking for moves after just several months in a role. Perks such as gym memberships and free food are no longer cutting it and investing in staff development is really where companies are differentiating themselves today.

With rocketing living costs and completely inadequate infrastructure, are you finding it tough to tempt people to relocate to, and more importantly, stay in Malta?

Tempting people to move to Malta has always been relatively straightforward, the food, laid back culture and 3,000 hours of sunshine is enough for most people. Getting people to remain in Malta however has become more difficult in recent years especially for more entry level or junior roles.

At a recent meeting with a HR manager for one of the largest iGaming operators in Malta we were informed that the average term for an entry level position has fallen by 40% in the last 2 years. The main feedback from exit interviews with these staff is that they simply cannot afford to live in Malta due to rising rental costs. We are seeing corresponding salary increases to counter this and at iGain we work closely with our partners to inform them of changing market rates and to benchmark roles.

Gibraltar-based businesses have, quite understandably been glossing over Brexit, but with the chaos and uncertainty now playing out, and big operators making contingencies to leave the rock, are you finding it difficult to fill vacancies in the territory?

The uncertainty of Brexit has left a lot of business both large and small with uncertainly and questions about what is coming down the line. We have seen very large operators such as Bet365 announce their decisions to relocate to Malta and decide not to take any chances.

For smaller business however they may not have the cash-flow or finances to make such a move until they are left with no choice. This places them at a distinct disadvantage. For the jobs market in Gibraltar we have seen a slowdown in recent months, but this really seems to be a short-term pause while business evaluate Brexit. Some of our clients have new roles ready for iGain to advertise but we have been asked to hold off until April 12th.

On your blog you promote diversity, but how are you finding things on the ground? Is the igaming industry, which for so long has been white male dominated, finally catching up with the rest of the world?

As iGaming continues to grow, move into new geographies, offer new products and increase in mobile adoption we are seeing a shift in the demographics of players. This will naturally change the balance in terms of who decided to move into iGaming and we are already seeing a big increase in Women in the industry.

More and more companies such as PaddyPower Betfair also manage diversity programs and the industry in general has really gotten behind these initiatives. This is replicated in the candidates that we work with and in fact most senior positions that iGain have filled in 2019 have been women.

Malta is definitely taking a global lead in blockchain and cryptocurrency, but it is a fact that most blockchain companies employ relatively few people. Are you finding any issues with oversupply or undersupply of blockchain and crypto skilled talent?

As a still relatively young market we have not noticed an oversupply of talent in the industry. Blockchain and Cryptocurrency are still trying to find their place with mainstream consumer adoption, and this does bring uncertainty to the market. We see this with the candidates that we work with and some trepidation at times for people to make the jump.

At the same time, we have worked with some Blockchain companies who are really growing quickly and snapping up talent in Malta and beyond. Overall it is not showing any signs of slowing down and as Blockchain technology continues to evolve we will continue to see growth in this sector, and it is an industry that iGain will focus considerable resources on.

Are you concerned about the increasingly hostile public and political attitude towards the gambling industry across Europe? Do you think it puts people off from entering the industry?

I think the reality is that the gambling industry has always suffered from a negative viewpoint. While operators and regulators have made huge strides in preventing problematic gambling there is always going to be more work to do. This is something that larger operators understand very well and actively canvas for increasing regulation.

As more markets become regulated and more controls are put in place to ensure gamblers are sensible and enjoy the fund side of the industry there will be no problems. We are also seeing increasing requirements for legal and compliance and other regulatory roles to go along with the traditional cutting-edge technology in the gambling industry which is continuing the trend of attracting top talent.

Its certainly a fascinating and exciting time to be involved with iGaming, blockchain and cryptos, and nowhere is more central to the action than Malta, and James seems to have a very good handle on this, so iGain looks set for a bright future. Thank you to James for taking the time to chat with us, and we look forward to catching up with iGain to see how things are progressing again soon.

If you’re looking for that perfect new iGaming, blockchain or crypto career move, check out iGain today at http://www.igainrecruitment.com/