Web and mobile development remains top area for hiring, according to The Creative Group research

The job market awaiting creative and marketing professionals in the new year is a good one, research from staffing firm The Creative Group suggests. According to the latest State of Creative Hiring data, 67% of advertising and marketing managers anticipate expanding their team in the first half of 2020. In addition, 69% of employers plan to increase the number of freelancers they use, a 7-point jump from six months ago.

According to the data, web and mobile development will still be the top area for recruiting among advertising and marketing managers. Survey respondents also cited the following technical skills as immediately needed for their company:

1. Digital strategy
2. Content creation and content marketing; social media management*
3. Artificial intelligence and machine learning
4. Data science, data analysis and A/B testing
5. User interface design
   *Denotes a tie.

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“To keep up with changes in technology and consumer behavior, businesses seek people with a passion and commitment to improving customer experiences and driving growth through digital innovation,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “Companies are increasingly hiring professionals with expertise in areas such as data analytics, demand generation, automation and artificial intelligence.”

Recruiting and Retention Challenges

A majority of advertising and marketing managers (86%) said it’s somewhat or very challenging to locate the creative talent they seek. The research also shows it’s becoming harder for organizations to hold on to creative and marketing staff. Roughly 6 in 10 advertising and marketing managers (61%) surveyed said employee retention is more difficult now compared to one year ago.

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Additional findings:

• Over half of respondents (51%) said unexpectedly losing a highly skilled team member would have a significant, adverse impact on their business because they’d be hard to replace.
• Fifty-five percent reported they experience the highest turnover among employees with three to eight years of experience.
• The most common retention strategies cited by advertising and marketing managers were offering better benefits (48%) and improving professional training and development (44%).

“As the unemployment rate remains near historic lows, improving staff engagement and retention is more important than ever,” Domeyer noted. “In-demand professionals know they have options and expect more from employers, including a competitive compensation and benefits package, opportunities for career growth and advancement, and recognition for their hard work.”

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