Nearly three-quarters (73%) of advertising and marketing executives in the United States say their organizations plan to maintain their current staffing levels in the second half of 2014, according to a recent report from The Creative Group.
Some 12% plan to expand their teams in 2H14, and 12% foresee hiring freezes, the survey of 200 marketing executives and 200 advertising executives found. Only 3% of respondents say they will have to reduce the size of their staffs before the end of the year.
Midsize ad agencies (50-99 employees) expect the most hiring activity, with 26% reporting they plan to add staff. However, they also report the greatest difficulty finding the talent they seek, with 40% saying it is somewhat or very challenging.
Below, additional key findings from the report.
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% of respondents plan to add), followed by brand/product management (21%), and media services (19%).
Difficult to Find Talent?
Some 49% of respondents say it is not challenging to find skilled marketing and advertising talent, 24% say it is challenging, and 22% say it is somewhat challenging.
About the research: The report was based on data from telephone surveys of 200 marketing executives in the United States randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 200 with advertising executives in the United States randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.
