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MENLO PARK, Calif., Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The demand for creative talent is expected to remain fairly stable in the first half of 2018, according to new research from staffing firm The Creative Group. Five percent of advertising and marketing executives surveyed plan to expand their teams. The majority (78%) anticipate maintaining staff levels and hiring primarily to fill vacated roles. In addition, 53% of executives said it's challenging to find creative professionals today, up from 45% six months ago.
|
U.S. Hiring Climate for Creatives |
Jan.-June |
July-Dec. |
Jan.-June |
|
Expanding — adding new positions |
5% |
9% |
12% |
|
Maintaining — only filling vacated positions |
78% |
64% |
67% |
|
Freezing — not filling vacated or creating new positions |
17% |
21% |
20% |
|
Reducing — eliminating positions |
0% |
4% |
0% |
|
Don't know |
0% |
0% |
1% |
|
*Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding. |
|||
View an infographic of the research highlights.
"At the beginning of the year, budgets have been approved and creative and marketing teams are adding staff to support new campaigns that will drive business growth," said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. "A priority for many companies is using data to deliver personalized experiences throughout the customer journey. Finding people with experience in this area is a challenge, as they're in high demand and short supply."
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Marketing and Advertising Specialties in Demand
Executives who plan to add staff cited the greatest need for people with expertise in content marketing, brand/product management and digital marketing. But the research shows companies will be recruiting for a range of specialties in the first half of 2018.
|
Top Areas for Hiring* |
|
|
Content marketing |
25% |
|
Brand/product management |
23% |
|
Digital marketing |
22% |
|
Marketing research |
20% |
|
Copywriting |
20% |
|
Social media |
19% |
|
Customer experience |
18% |
|
Interactive media |
18% |
|
Print design/production |
17% |
|
Media services |
17% |
|
Public relations |
14% |
|
Creative/art direction |
13% |
|
Account services |
13% |
|
Web design/production |
12% |
|
Mobile design/development |
10% |
|
*Multiple responses permitted. |
|
Domeyer added, "When adding creative and marketing staff, hiring managers want people with experience developing and executing innovative digital strategies. Positions like content strategist, marketing analytics manager and user experience researcher are in strong demand."
Recruiting Challenges Intensify
Fifty-three percent of advertising and marketing executives said it's hard to find creative professionals today, up eight points from six months ago. Hiring managers in small marketing departments (100-249 employees) expect the greatest difficulty, with 58% reporting challenges. According to executives, the hardest roles to fill are those in web design/production, marketing research, brand/product management and digital marketing.
To win over potential hires, some companies are increasing salaries. In a separate survey from The Creative Group, more than half of advertising and marketing executives (57%) said they are at least somewhat willing to negotiate compensation when extending a job offer to a top candidate.
About the Research
The national study was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on more than 400 telephone interviews with approximately 200 marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 200 advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.
About The Creative Group
The Creative Group (TCG) specializes in connecting interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations talent with the best companies on a project, contract-to-hire and full-time basis. For more information, including job-hunting services and candidate portfolios, visit roberthalf.com/creativegroup.
SOURCE The Creative Group