creative jobs outlook

Hiring Outlook for Creative Pros in First Half of 2019

What’s the employment outlook for creative talent? According to The Creative Group’s latest State of Creative Hiring research, 60 percent of advertising and marketing hiring decision makers plan to expand their teams in the first half of 2019.

Thirty-seven percent of employers anticipate maintaining staff levels and primarily filling vacated roles. In addition, 56 percent of companies expect to increase the number of freelancers they use in the next six months.

Research from The Creative Group reveals in-demand creative skills for the first half of 2019.

Web and mobile development and web production are the top areas for recruiting — and among the hardest to staff, results showed. Advertising and marketing hiring managers also reported a strong need for professionals with expertise in user experience, creative development and visual design.

“As companies continue to invest in digital transformation, they seek people who can help with new and ongoing initiatives,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “In addition to hiring full-time staff, many are bringing on freelancers to provide extra support during busy periods, fill skills gaps on their teams and access a different pool of talent.”

The research also shed light on staffing challenges and trends in the creative industry. Among the findings:

Good talent is hard to come by. Ninety-two percent of advertising and marketing hiring decision makers said it’s challenging to find creative professionals today.

There’s a need for recruiting speed. When asked to name the greatest barrier to bringing on top talent, the most common response was a slow hiring process (19 percent), followed by a failure to offer competitive pay (17 percent).

Flexibility is a selling point. Employers surveyed said a flexible work schedule (32 percent) is the most desirable noncash perk for creative professionals. A generous vacation or time-off policy (21 percent) ranked second.

Experience matters. When evaluating applicants for creative roles, 31 percent of hiring decision makers rated previous experience as the top criterion. Twenty-one percent of respondents said the portfolio carries the most weight.

Companies are relaxing some requirements. Seventy-four percent of hiring managers are now more willing to bring on creative talent who have relevant certifications in lieu of a college degree than they were 12 months ago.

Frequent job changes are a red flag. One-quarter of employers (25 percent) said it’s likely they’d remove a candidate from consideration if their resume showed a history of job hopping.

Retention is a top concern. Seventy-eight percent of companies are worried about losing current creative staff members to other job opportunities in the next 12 months.

“U.S. unemployment is at its lowest level since 1969, and companies are struggling to staff open roles on their teams,” Domeyer added. “The talent shortage is even more pronounced for creative professionals with digital expertise — the precise individuals most in demand with employers. An efficient hiring process, competitive compensation and strong organizational culture are essential to recruiting in today’s market.”

About the Research
The online survey was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by a leading independent research firm. It is based on responses from more than 400 advertising and marketing hiring decision makers who work full-time at agencies with 20 or more employees or companies with 100 or more employees in the United States.

About The Creative Group
The Creative Group (TCG) specializes in connecting creative, digital, 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.

U.S. Advertising and Marketing Execs Reveal Hiring Plans Through Year-End

According to research by The Creative Group, 21 percent of advertising and marketing executives interviewed plan to expand their teams in the second half of 2015. This compares to 33 percent in the first half of the year and 12 percent one year ago.

The majority (65 percent) of respondents said they expect to maintain staff levels and hire primarily to fill vacated roles in the next six months.

“With continued demand for creative talent and a shrinking pool of skilled applicants, it’s more important than ever for companies to move quickly when hiring, or they risk losing out to more nimble firms,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “Offering competitive pay and perks that support work-life balance can be instrumental in attracting candidates with hard-to-find skills. Salaries that were competitive even a year ago likely need to be re-evaluated.”

The national study was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and 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.

Marketing and Advertising Specialties in Demand

When executives were asked in which areas they plan to add staff in the second half of 2015, they reported a range of specialties. Creative/art direction and account services topped the list (27 percent each), followed by content marketing and interactive media (26 percent each).

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “In which of the following areas do you expect to hire in the second half of 2015?” Their responses:

  • 27% Creative/art direction
  • 27% Account services
  • 26% Content marketing
  • 26% Interactive media
  • 25% Brand/product management
  • 25% Web/design production
  • 25% Media services
  • 25% Public relations
  • 24% Digital marketing
  • 23% Marketing research
  • 22% Print design/production
  • 21% Customer experience
  • 21% Copywriting
  • 21% Social media
  • 18% Mobile design/development

(Multiple responses were permitted.)

Recruiting Challenges

Recruiting remains difficult for advertising and marketing executives: Forty-two percent said it is challenging to find skilled creative professionals today, up one percent from six months ago.

Hiring managers at large advertising agencies (100+ employees) and large marketing departments (1,000+ employees) expect the greatest difficulty, with 55 percent of respondents in each group reporting it is somewhat or very challenging to find the talent they seek.

When asked which areas are most difficult to fill, the top responses were brand/product management and account services.

Survey: Many companies plan to add creative and marketing staff through year-end (PRNewsFoto/The Creative Group)
Survey: Many companies plan to add creative and marketing staff through year-end (PRNewsFoto/The Creative Group)

About The Creative Group

The Creative Group (TCG) specializes in placing a range of highly skilled interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals with a variety of firms on a project, contract-to-hire and full-time basis. More resources, including online job-hunting services, candidate portfolios and TCG’s blog, can be found at creativegroup.com.

Survey Shows Ad Agencies and Marketers Easing Up on Hiring Freezes

TCG-LogoAccording to new research by The Creative Group, 12 percent of advertising and marketing executives interviewed said they will expand their creative teams in the second half of 2014. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) said their organizations plan to maintain current staff levels (up 16 points from six months ago). And 12 percent said they project hiring freezes (down 10 points from the first half of 2014). Only 3 percent of executives expect to reduce the size of their staff.

The national survey was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm.

Key Findings

  • The fact that companies are lifting hiring freezes could be a sign of their growing confidence in in business prospects and an improving economy.
  • Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of marketing and advertising executives said it’s challenging to find skilled creative professionals today.
  • Midsize agencies (50-99 employees) are expected to see the most hiring activity, with 26 percent of advertising executives reporting they plan to add staff. However, they also report the greatest difficulty finding the talent they seek, with 40 percent of respondents saying it is somewhat or very challenging.
  • Account services, brand/product management and media services are the top areas executives plan to hire for during the second half of 2014.

“Companies are investing more in marketing and advertising initiatives and are often turning to outside vendors for help. As a result, agencies are hiring full-time and project staff to keep up with expanding client needs,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “While professionals with digital expertise continue to be in demand, agencies also are actively looking to fill traditional roles, like account directors and account managers.”

Marketing and Advertising Specialties in Demand

When executives were asked in which areas they plan to add staff in the second half of 2014, account services topped the list (24 percent), followed by brand/product management (21 percent) and media services (19 percent).

Marketing and advertising executives were asked, “In which of the following areas do you expect to hire in the second half of 2014?” Their responses:

  • Account services 24%
  • Brand/product management 21%
  • Media services 19%
  • Social media 17%
  • Mobile development 16%
  • Creative/art direction 13%
  • Web design/production 13%
  • Public relations 12%
  • Interactive media 12%
  • Copywriting 11%
  • Print design/production 10%
  • Marketing research 10%
  • Content marketing 9%

About the Survey

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 — approximately 200 with marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 200 with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

About The Creative Group

The Creative Group specializes in placing a range of highly skilled interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals with a variety of firms on a project and full-time basis. More resources, including online job- hunting services, candidate portfolios and TCG’s blog, can be found at creativegroup.com.

LINKS

The Creative Group

Hiring and Salary Trends in the Creative and Marketing Fields

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Creative Group Survey Shows Stable Hiring Environment

A majority of advertising agencies and marketing departments plan to maintain current staff levels in the second half of 2013, according to new research from creative staffing agency The Creative Group.

Fifty-nine percent of advertising and marketing executives interviewed said they plan to hire to fill vacated roles during the remainder of the year. An additional 9 percent anticipate expanding their teams, 25 percent project hiring freezes and 4 percent expect to reduce the size of their staff.

More than half (52 percent) of respondents said it is challenging to find creative professionals today. Hiring managers at midsize advertising agencies (50 to 99 employees) report the greatest difficulty, with 81 percent of respondents saying it is somewhat or very challenging.

Web design/production, print design/production and account services are the top roles executives plan to hire for during the second half of the year.

The national survey was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals.  The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and involved more than 400 telephone interviews. Approximately 300 interviews were conducted with marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees. About 100 interviews were conducted with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

In-Demand Specialties

Executives were asked “In which of the following areas do you expect to hire in the second half of 2013?” Their responses:

  • Web design/production: 23%
  • Print design/production: 18%
  • Account services: 16%
  • Social media: 15%
  • Media services: 15%
  • Public relations: 14%
  • Interactive media: 13%
  • Brand/product management: 12%
  • Creative/art direction: 12%
  • Marketing research: 11%
  • Mobile applications development: 10%

“Many organizations brought on new staff at the beginning of the year to position themselves for expected growth in the coming months,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group. “Employers are now adding positions, when appropriate, to keep up with new business demands. Web design and production remains a top growth area as companies seek to expand and improve their online presence.”

LINKS

The Creative Group

Hiring and Salary Trends for Creatives

TCG_0613_Hiring-Climate