• research

    Diversity in the Gaming Workforce

    research

    Diversity in the Gaming Workforce

    April 6, 2023

    The AGA’s in-depth examination of diversity in the gaming workforce shows the industry is more diverse than national and hospitality industry benchmarks, while identifying opportunities representation.

    As consumers, policymakers and investors are raising their expectations for all businesses on how they contribute to society beyond the bottom line, the study demonstrates tangible results of the industry’s broad reach and commitment to representing local communities:

    • The gaming industry workforce is significantly more diverse than the larger hospitality sector and U.S. workforce as a whole.
      • 61% of gaming industry employees are minorities, compared to 52% of the broader hospitality industry and 42% of the total U.S. workforce.
      • 23% of gaming employees are Hispanic and 19% are Black—both higher than the national workforce and in line with the hospitality industry.
      • Asian employees are over-represented in gaming at 14%, about twice the national workforce.
    • Among operators, there has been a 20% increase in workforce racial diversity over the last decade.
      • Today, 60% of operator employees are minorities, up nearly 20% from 2011, and higher than the hospitality sector and national workforces overall.
      • Operators have seen a significant increase in the share of workers who are Black: 19% today compared with 12% in 2011.
    • Gaming manufacturers have a more diverse workforce than other electronic manufacturing employers.
      • 45% of gaming manufacturer employees are minorities, compared to 38% of the broader electronic manufacturing workforce.
      • Similarly, gaming manufacturers’ share of female employees is more than five points higher than other electronic manufacturers across a range of job classifications, including executive and mid-level officials and mangers.

    Importantly, across job levels, gaming’s leadership pipeline is significantly more diverse than national averages at the first/mid-level manager and professional levels: 45 percent of first/mid-level managers are minorities while 43 percent of professionals are minorities, both 10 to 12 points above national and hospitality benchmarks.

    Gender diversity presents an opportunity for the industry. The gaming’s workforce is 48 percent female, in line with the national workforce, but representation drops off at more senior level job classifications.

    “As today’s report shows, our industry has made impactful strides toward becoming more diverse, but there is more work to do. The AGA will use this research to engage our membership on how we can collectively advance DEI in gaming in the months and years to come.” - AGA President and CEO Bill Miller

    Diversity Data