The Job Market for Creative, Marketing and Communications Professionals

As agencies take on more clients and in-house creative teams tackle more projects, they are eager to build their teams. As such, they seek highly skilled professionals who can support traditional and digital initiatives.

But finding people with the precise skill sets and personality they seek remains a challenge. A talent shortage in some specialties is creating a competitive recruiting scene - and creative professionals with the most in-demand expertise are finding they have growing leverage when considering job offers.

Following are additional industry trends impacting the employment environment for interactive, design and marketing professionals:

  • Reinforcements are on the way. As creative teams take on more projects, managers recognize the need for extra support to help with heavier workloads. They are bringing in freelancers to access specialized skills and keep projects on track, and they are filling full-time positions should they identify an ongoing need.
  • It's tough spotting top talent. Despite high unemployment rates, finding expert creative professionals remains a challenge. To help uncover in-demand talent – like designers with extensive digital expertise or marketing professionals with social media and web analytics proficiency – hiring managers are tapping their professional networks for referrals and partnering with specialized staffing firms.
  • Employers are moving faster. Managers are still selective when hiring, but once they identify candidates with the precise skill sets they seek, they are moving more quickly to extend job offers. In some cases, they are offering perks, like sign-on bonuses, extra vacation days and the option to work remotely several days a week, to further entice applicants.
  • Brand revitalizations are widespread. Many businesses are eager to refresh their brand identities to reflect new product and services offerings and keep their customers engaged. There is strong demand for professionals who can steer and manage overall brand strategy, as well as bring ideas to life via digital and traditional media.