Recruiting virtual reality (VR) engineers is growing as the VR field continues to grow. This is substantiated by a recent report showing the global VR market is expected to grow over ten-fold by 2025 from $5.34B in 2017 to $56.25B.
What Exactly Is Virtual Reality?
Virtual reality is defined as an interactive computer-generated experience undertaken within a simulated environment. It includes mainly auditory and visual feedback but may also permit other types of sensory feedback such as haptic (use of touch). This immersive environment can be similar to the real world or it can be fantastical.
Augmented reality (AR) systems are also considered as a form of VR. AR layers virtual information over a live camera feed into a headset or through a smartphone or tablet device. This helps the user view three-dimensional images.
Nowadays, VR technology incorporates virtual reality headsets or multi-projected environments. This is sometimes combined with physical environments or props to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations. The result is a user’s physical presence is stimulated in a virtual or imaginary environment.
Reasons For The Growth Of Virtual Reality
Some of the factors fueling the VR market are use of improved technology, increasing digitization, use of head mount displays (HMDs) in the gaming and entertainment sector, heavy investments in the VR market to meet out rising need and the availability of affordable VR devices.
The use of HMDs has been maximized in the entertainment and gaming sector. The gaming industry has had a technological development with the arrival of VR and 3D technology. The use of HMDs has helped in realizing a fully immersive experience for users and has taken the gaming experience to the next level.
The flawless shift achieved with the use of VR and HMDs has facilitated bringing a unique and enhanced user experience. HMDs have a high penetration rate in the video gaming sector.
Drivers In The VR Marketplace
One of the driving forces in the VR marketplace is an increase in investments to meet the rising needs. The usage of head mount displays in the gaming and entertainment sector is fueling additional growth. Another propelling factor is the availability of affordable VR devices.
Hindering the growth of the market may be low resolution and lack of movement which cause health concerns. However, incorporation of head mount displays in healthcare as well as in architectural applications should drive the industry growth in coming years.
Key players operating in the global VR market include Sony, Oculus, Samsung Electronics, HTC, Google, PTC, Microsoft, Wikitude, DAQRI, Zugara, Blippar, Osterhout Design Group, Magic Leap, Upskill, Continental, Visteon, Eon Reality, Vuzix, and MAXST among others.
To enhance their market position in the global VR market, the key players are now focusing on adopting the strategies such as product innovations, mergers and acquisitions, recent developments, joint venture, collaborations and partnerships.
• For instance, HTC just announced the latest addition to its VR headset catalog, the Vive Focus Plus, which targets Enterprise users.
• Leaders are providing better opportunities and continuously focusing in on new product developments and venture capital investments to capture market share.
In May, 2019 Samsung launched new AR and VR products. The company’s director of developer relations for XR and gaming, Farshid Fallah, gave an early indication.
At Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara, Calif., Fallah mentioned Samsung planned to release “multiple AR and VR products” in the future. In addition to its mobile VR efforts, Samsung has also released two versions of a high-end VR headset powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform.
The company has also been exploring head-mounted augmented reality. It even presented an experimental augmented reality headset at its developer conference last year.
The semi-immersive segment dominated its market with the highest share of 64.40% in 2017.
The technology segment is classified as non-immersive, semi-immersive and fully immersive technology. The semi-immersive segment dominated the market in 2017.
Semi-immersive systems are a comparatively new implementation of VR technology. It includes a relatively high performance graphics computing system which can be coupled with either a large screen projector system or multiple television projection systems.
The head-mounted display segment was valued around $2.55B in 2017.
The device type segment is divided into additional segments such as head-mounted displays, gesture-tracking devices and projector and display walls. The head-mounted display segment dominated this market with the highest share in 2017. The major applications for VR HMDs have been in gaming and entertainment which is anticipated to dominate the market during the forecast period
The retail segment dominated its market with the highest share of 32.10% in 2017.
The application segment includes consumer, commercial, enterprise, healthcare, aerospace, defense and others. The consumer application segment dominated the VR market in 2017. The consumer application leads the VR market due to the high demand for HMDs in gaming and entertainment.
Regional Segment Analysis of the VR Market
• North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico)
• Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe)
• Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC)
• South America (Brazil and Rest of South America)
• Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA)
The regions analyzed for the market include North America, Europe, South America, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. The North America region dominated the global VR market with $2.25B in 2017 whereas the Asia-Pacific was a rapidly growing region in the market.
Asia-Pacific is dominating the market owing to an increase in R&D (research and development) in APAC and the growing acceptance of newer technologies. The North America region is a rapidly growing region because of technological advancement and rising consumer lifestyle.
Recruitment Managers Face A Limited Of VR Candidates
Virtual Reality recruitment is growing as VR applications expand. As a result engineering, scientific, R&D, technical, information technology (IT) and manufacturing talent are all in high demand and short supply. Therefore, recruiting virtual reality (VR) engineers and other key virtual reality talent is getting tougher by the day!
Furthermore, the expansion of virtual reality will necessitate the recruitment of even more talent with virtual reality experience in the future. This will require extensive and creative recruiting measures to ensure more VR employees are available for these expanded recruitment needs.
Constantly Recruiting Virtual Reality Talent
Long ago Strategic Search Corporation realized scientific, technical, R&D, IT, engineering and manufacturing technology recruiting was getting increasingly more difficult! As a result, we developed several tools to help our staffing manager clients. One of those tools is the Twelve Commandments of Recruiting.
One particularly helpful tip is our 8th Commandment – “Constantly Recruiting.” What this means is don’t wait for a job opening to seek out talent. Instead, attend trade shows and industry events to build your staffing network. Then when you are recruiting virtual reality (VR) engineers, your job to fill times will not be as long.
Try to uncover VR talent where ever you go. Then when you have a virtual reality staffing need, you can quickly fill it by taping into your employment database. This will help you streamline your recruitment process. You won’t have to wait months to fill it.
So remember to constantly recruit!
This recruiting tip not only applies to VR job recruitment, it also applies to any other staffing needs where demand outstrips talent supply.
These are just a few of the employment tips we have gathered over 30 years of recruiting experience. They universally apply to a wide range of jobs, not just for recruiting virtual reality (VR) engineers or other engineer jobs and engineering hiring. You can apply them to most jobs and employment situations wherever you are having recruitment issues.
Call me today at 312-944-4000 to discuss how we can assist with your engineering staffing efforts especially in the highly competitive virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotics and Internet of Things fields. Or click here for my full contact information.
