New Year May See Increase in Jobs for Creative Professionals

The creative field should see more hiring activity in the months ahead, according to new research by The Creative Group. Thirteen percent of hiring managers at advertising agencies and marketing departments said they plan to expand or add new positions in the first half of 2014, up four points from six months ago.

Fifty-seven percent said their organizations plan to maintain current staff levels, 22 percent said they project hiring freezes and 4 percent 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.

Thirteen percent of advertising and marketing executives interviewed plan to add new positions in the coming six months, up from nine percent six months ago. Fifty-seven percent anticipate maintaining current staff levels, 22 percent expect hiring freezes and 4 percent plan to reduce the size of their staff.

Nearly one-third (32 percent) of marketing and advertising executives said it's challenging to find skilled creative professionals today. Hiring managers at large advertising agencies (100+ employees) report the greatest difficulty, with 60 percent of respondents saying it is somewhat or very challenging. Social media, media services and brand/product management are the top roles executives plan to hire for during the first half of 2014.

“Agencies and in-house creative teams are expanding to address increased workloads, largely driven by online projects,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “They seek professionals with a range of digital skills, including mobile and user experience designers, and those who have successfully managed social media campaigns and communities.”

Marketing and Advertising Specialties in Demand
When executives were asked in which areas they plan to add staff in the first half of 2014, social media and media services topped the list (each with 16 percent), followed by brand/product management (15 percent).

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

Social media 16%
Media services 16%
Brand/product management 15%
Interactive media 13%
Creative/art direction 12%
Web design/production 12%
Account services 11%
Marketing research 9%
Print design/production 9%
Public relations 9%
Copywriting 8%
Mobile development 6%

Multiple responses permitted. Top responses shown.

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.