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The 2024 job market saw recruitment freezes, with redundancies and budget constraints resulting in fewer roles and a larger pool of job seekers, according to recruiters specialising in marketing.
Salaries also remained flat and many in the industry were hesitant to switch companies with such a tough market.
However, the 2025 market is looking stronger and more stable than 2024 as the last half has shown a notable recovery.
The last 12 months has taken its toll on the advertising, media and marketing industry with economic pressures shrinking client budgets and businesses slimming down to keep up with the cost of doing business.
Many organisations were forced to reevaluate leadership structures, resulting in layoffs and a reduction in available opportunities.
As a result, companies took a hold approach to recruitment and resources as they work to tighten budgets, says Aquent Australia marketing and analytics practice manager Zena Nicolson.
This is evident as the volume of industry talent applying to roles has increased significantly.
A recently advertised account manager role via Aquent received more than 100 applicants. In 2022 that open role would expect around 30 applicants.
Senior agency candidates were more plentiful than available roles.
“I’ve seen some really stellar senior candidates return to the Sydney market over the past six months from overseas, and it’s been challenging to place them as there just hasn’t been the opportunities despite their calibre,” says iknowho lead talent partner Sheryn Small.
This year saw a senior redundancy wave at most publishers which took out high profile executives including chief marketing officer Nikki Clarkson, chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette, CMO Melissa Hopkins, NSW independent agencies Michael Desiere and many more.
Simultaneously, the junior patch (particularly account executives and account managers) continues to be tight, with a smaller talent pool making it challenging to fill these roles.
“Less graduates are entering into creative agencies in general, and we are still feeling the aftereffects of not investing in juniors over Covid,” iknowho senior talent partner Riza Karis says.
“Senior-level roles such as head of marketing and creative director have been declining,” Nicolson said.
“Junior-level roles that require 1–2 years of experience are scarce, and we have also seen a decline in senior-level positions.”
And large client accounts - such as ANZ, Target, Myer, Kmart, Suncorp and Defence Force - have shifted from client retainers to project work, adding to the higher number of redundancies, particularly senior roles.
With nervousness around the future of the industry and the Australian economy, has made individuals “sticky”. They are harder to shift from one agency to another, Talent Run founder Amy Lee said.
“They are more loyal to their current agency. They may decline a good employment offer as they are already on a good wicket - on a reasonable salary, in a role with stability and flexibility,” Lee said.
“Maybe the grass is not always greener! Also with salaries flat, the motivation to shift roles for a salary increase is not there.”
Off the back of hiring freezes for permanent positions Nicolson has also seen a steady demand for contract roles that provide temporary solutions to fill gaps within leaner teams.
“We have noticed an increased demand for building in-house capability across performance media and data insights/campaign analysts teams,” Nicolson said.
But according to iknowho, agencies are less inclined to hire candidates needing sponsorship for permanent roles.
While there has also been roughly a 10% increase in freelance roles in the last 12 months, 2024 has not seen the level of freelance activity that iknowho would have predicted for the economic climate.
“Disappointing news, given the appetite from candidates for this type of work,” Karis and Small said.
“Interestingly, we have seen a marked increase in Working Holiday Visa candidates over the past three months, and with the age limit now 35 instead of 30, some of these candidates are at SAD & GAD level.”
Iknowho has also seen agencies finding it difficult to compete with client-side salaries.
“We are losing a portion of agency candidates to marketing roles. With all these factors combined, the junior patch is still candidate short,” Karis and Small said.
“We have also seen steady growth from many of our newer indie agency clients who have been building their teams with newly created roles.”
Across the creative and digital sectors, hundreds of roles were advertised weekly, but competition is fierce, said Creative Natives client partner Dan Talia.
“In high-demand areas like digital design and performance marketing, candidate pools were particularly strong, making these markets especially competitive,” Talia said.
“Traditional roles like print media specialists, generalist graphic designers, and non-digital-focused marketing positions have seen a decline. Businesses are continuing to shift resources toward digital-first strategies, leaving these roles less prioritised.”
The most in-demand roles, according to Talia, were:
- Influencer marketing specialists – With the growing impact of social media, brands are increasingly turning to influencers for authentic promotional strategies, driving high demand for these specialists.
- Performance/growth marketing managers – Companies have prioritised these roles due to the need for optimising paid campaigns and measuring ROI, blending creativity with data-driven decision-making.
- Digital designers (particularly with UX and motion skills) – As businesses focus on enhancing user experience and customer interactions online, the demand for designers skilled in these areas has increased.
- SEO managers and digital marketing directors – The critical role of SEO in driving visibility and the strategic importance of marketing leadership have ensured steady demand for these positions.
What can adland expect in 2025?
The 2025 market is looking stronger and more stable than 2024, according to the recruiters.
While the beginning of 2024 experienced a slow start, the latter half showed a notable recovery, particularly job briefs and job conversations have heated up in November and recruiters expect that momentum to carry into 2025.
Iknowho’s Small and Karis said long-awaited pitch responses and deferred hiring decisions rolled into the new year could result in healthier hiring activity in February/March.
Although employers will likely continue to be selective in their hiring, says Creative Natives client partner Dan Talia.
“The start of the year may experience another slow period due to budget resets, but key roles in digital marketing and creative strategy are expected to remain stable,” Talia said.
“Additionally, the hybrid work model will continue influencing job trends, especially for roles offering remote and flexible options.
“Diversity and inclusion will remain top priorities for businesses, with an increased focus on hiring practices that prioritise diverse backgrounds and experiences.
“For job seekers, upskilling—particularly in digital tools, analytics, and adapting to hybrid work environments—will be essential to staying competitive.”
Aquent’s Zena Nicolson predicts companies will be keen to push forward their strategic goals and see budgets placed on hold being released.
“When speaking with middle management, the general consensus is that they have been extremely stretched over the past 12 months. With many senior managers leaving without being replaced, middle management has been required to step up to straddle strategy, report back to C-suite, and oversee BAU with limited resources,” Nicolson said.
“I predict that the job market will steadily pick up next year, and as soon as there is some business confidence we will see people on the move.”
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