ScreenSkills Urges Investment In Mid-Level Talent

New analysis warns of a mid-level hiring crunch, with 37% of employers citing leadership and management gaps and 65% reporting recruitment difficulties due to missing skills.

The UK's screen sector must channel more support into mid-tier professionals to maintain its global edge, according to a new ScreenSkills report released this week.

Powering Production: Identifying Skills Needs in the UK's Screen Sector was commissioned by ScreenSkills and delivered by Harlow Consulting, drawing on responses from more than 500 employers across the industry.

While the UK workforce is still regarded as among the world's best — with 80% of the workforce deemed proficient by most respondents — employers say mid‑level "step‑up" and leadership roles are increasingly difficult to staff with suitably skilled candidates.

Overall, 37% of employers flagged critical gaps in leadership and management, a risk ScreenSkills said could undermine production quality and long‑term growth.

These capability gaps are feeding broader shortages, with more than 65% of employers struggling to recruit due to candidates lacking the skills required to meet expected standards. A wide range of production types, combined with limited experience across different scales and budgets, is compounding the challenge.

Mid-level and delivery‑critical posts were the toughest to fill, with VFX supervisors, post‑producers, production coordinators, producers and directors (unscripted TV) all highlighted as shortage roles.

Just over half (52%) of employers expect AI to alter some working practices in their departments, though many remain uncertain about how the technology will be implemented. Interpersonal skills were identified as the most important for adapting to new tools and workflows.

Laura Mansfield, CEO of ScreenSkills, said: "The UK screen industry is world-leading, and its greatest asset is its highly skilled workforce – the people whose creativity and expertise underpin a sector that contributes billions to the UK economy. At a time when many people, freelancers especially, are out of work, 65% of employers are citing difficulties in recruiting due to a lack of required skills. This research clearly identifies skills gaps and shortages within the industry and shows that continued investment in upskilling is essential to close that gap."

The UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has recently launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness and uptake of creative careers among young people aged 13–17.

www.screenskills.com/