In the 1990s, the United States was unrivaled in the Visual Effects (VFX), animation, and gaming industries, boasting a wealth of talent and job opportunities. Fast forward just a decade, and other countries around the globe have quickly caught up. Generous tax incentives encouraged studios to move their projects elsewhere to cut costs. This trend continues to impact the industry today, as the U.S.—specifically Los Angeles—has lost much of its dominance in these fields.

To better understand this global shift, we examined current job postings (between March and May 2024) in VFX, animation, and gaming worldwide by comparing the number of job postings to the size of each country's Information sector workforce. This approach gives us insight into how active the job market is relative to the existing industry size in each country.

Our data indicates that aggressive VFX, animation, and gaming industry incentives are shifting the geography of talent. Australia leads with about 58 job postings per 100,000 Information sector workers. Canada follows with 40 postings, while the U.S. lags with about 20 jobs per 100,000 workers in the Information sector. While the U.S. still has a large absolute number of job postings due to its size, the relative growth and talent opportunities in the VFX, animation, and gaming spaces are much stronger in countries like Australia and Canada.

Strategic investment and incentives could help bring some of the work back to the U.S., especially in areas such as Los Angeles that boast great existing talent. By understanding these global shifts, policymakers can make informed decisions to revitalize these creative sectors in the United States.