A CommPRO News Update

According to research from The Creative Group, thirteen percent of executives in advertising and marketing plan to expand their teams in the second half of 2016. This is up from 11 percent in the first half of the year.

The majority of those surveyed said they expect to maintain staff levels and hire primarily to fill vacated roles in the next six months. Additionally, 20 percent of ad execs and 10 percent of marketing execs anticipate increasing the number of freelance staff through the remainder of the year.

"Many companies are adding to their bench of marketing talent, particularly within the digital space," said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. "Employers seek professionals who can help build their businesses' online presence, support year-end campaigns and strategize for the future."

Marketing and Advertising Specialties in Demand

When execs were asked which areas they plan to add staff to in the second half of 2016, they reported a range of specialties. Content marketing, brand/product management, digital marketing and web design/production topped the list (18 percent each).

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, "In which of the following areas do you expect to hire in the second half of 2016?" Their responses:

Content marketing: 18%

Brand/product management: 18%

Digital marketing: 18%

Web design/production: 18%

Marketing research: 17%

Creative/art direction: 17%

Print design/production: 17%

Customer experience: 17%

Social media: 16%

Media services: 15%

Public relations: 14%

Copywriting: 14%

Account services: 13%

Interactive media: 10%

Mobile design/development: 10%

Note: Multiple responses permitted. Top responses shown.

Recruiting Challenges

Over forty percent of execs discussed how difficult it is to find skilled creative professionals today. Hiring managers at small advertising agencies (20-49 employees) and large advertising agencies (100+ employees) expect the greatest difficulty, with 50 percent of respondents in each group reporting it is somewhat or very challenging to find the talent they seek.

When asked which types of roles are most difficult to fill, the top responses were web design/production, customer experience and brand/product management.

About the Research

The national study was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on 400 telephone interviews -- with 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.