The employment outlook for creative talent is expected to remain relatively steady in the second half of 2017, according to new research from staffing firm The Creative Group. Nine percent of advertising and marketing executives surveyed said they plan to expand their teams. The majority of respondents (64 percent) anticipate maintaining staff levels and hiring primarily to fill vacated roles.
| U.S. Hiring Climate for Creatives | July-Dec. 2017* |
Jan.-June 2017 |
July-Dec. 2016 |
| Expanding — adding new positions | 9% | 12% | 13% |
| Maintaining — only filling vacated positions | 64% | 67% | 59% |
| Freezing — not filling vacated or creating new positions | 21% | 20% | 25% |
| Reducing — eliminating positions | 4% | 0% | 3% |
| Don’t know | 0% | 1% | 0% |
| *Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding. |
Marketing and advertising specialties in demand
The executives surveyed who indicated they will add staff plan to do so in a range of areas in the second half of 2017, but positions in account services, mobile design and development, and marketing research topped the list.
| Top Areas for Hiring* | |
| Account services | 24% |
| Mobile design/development | 21% |
| Marketing research | 21% |
| Public relations | 20% |
| Social media | 19% |
| Customer experience | 18% |
| Web design/production | 18% |
| Digital marketing | 18% |
| Print design/production | 18% |
| Brand/product management | 17% |
| Interactive media | 17% |
| Copywriting | 16% |
| Media services | 16% |
| Content marketing | 15% |
| Creative/art direction | 14% |
| *Multiple responses permitted. Top responses shown. | |
Recruiting challenges persist
Forty-five percent of advertising and marketing executives said it’s challenging to find creative professionals today. Hiring managers at large advertising agencies (100 or more employees) expect the greatest difficulty, with 67 percent reporting it’s somewhat or very challenging to identify the talent they seek. According to the survey, the hardest roles to fill are those in media services, customer experience and account services.
To overcome recruiting challenges, companies may be more apt to expand their search geographically. Forty-five percent of executives said they’re now more willing to look outside their city or state to find the right person for a creative position than they were three years ago.
“Demand for digital content and services continues to grow, and companies struggle to find professionals well-versed in the latest platforms and strategies used to create unique and positive customer experiences,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group, in a news release. “Given strong competition for these highly skilled individuals, employers need to take a proactive and streamlined hiring approach to secure top talent.”
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.
