Digital innovation continues to drive changes in marketing and creative teams, along with the skill sets required for career growth. Roles tied to MarTech—especially those involving AI-driven analytics and marketing automation—are commanding salary premiums. Two things are increasingly important in salary negotiations—employers highly value bilingual capabilities and candidates consider remote work flexibility a critical perk.

Many firms are struggling to meet candidates’ pay expectations, particularly for highly specialized or strategic positions. For employers in Canada facing budget constraints, offering a well-rounded compensation package can be the key to securing top talent in 2026.

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Salaries by job category

The salaries below default to national averages. Select a job category and city to find figures for a specific market. Starting compensation—pay for someone new to a role—can vary significantly based on a candidate’s skills, experience and certifications, as well as other factors including industry, company size and revenue, and demand for the role. To reflect this variability, we report our compensation data in three levels: low, mid and high.

Agency Account Management

Content and Social Media

Design and Production

Digital Marketing

Marketing and Communications

UX Design and Development

Job Title

Low

Mid

High

Account Director

96500

107000

124000

Account Supervisor

75500

82500

98500

Account Manager

57500

75750

88500

Account Coordinator

52000

57250

62500

Product Owner

92500

107500

115000

Traffic Manager

68500

74250

82750

Traffic Coordinator

51750

56500

64250

Low

The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.

Mid

The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferrable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.

High

The candidate has extensive experience and advanced skills for the role, and may also have specialized certifications.

2026 marketing and creative compensation trends

Marketing and creative teams are increasingly central to digital transformation, from improving marketing data analytics to implementing new digital processes. Companies are also tapping agencies to advance digital marketing campaigns.

These trends are driving up demand for AI, automation and analytics skills—and prompting employers to offer salary premiums for digital marketing and data expertise.

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of marketing and creative departments will participate in a major digital transformation initiative in the next 2 years.

Employers boosting wages for specialized skills

85% of marketing and creative leaders agree with the view that professionals with specialized skills are paid more than peers without them in the same role. Robert Half’s research shows that employers in Canada are offering higher wages to professionals with the following skills, ranked by demand:

Marketing automation

Digital marketing strategy

Email marketing

Marketing research and analytics

AI and machine learning

Year-over-year salary gains

+1.6%

projected average increase across marketing and creative roles

+4.1%

for marketing analytics specialists, due to their ability to provide data-driven business insights.

+2.3%

for digital marketing roles, driven by their importance in executing complex, personalized campaigns and measuring ROI.

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of marketing and creative leaders worry about keeping pace with compensation expectations through 2026.

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are most willing to increase salaries for candidates with specialized skills or certifications.

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predict that including pay ranges in job descriptions will help them attract and hire skilled talent in 2026.

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rely on guidance from a recruiter when determining salary ranges for emerging roles.

Getting creative with compensation

Salary remains a top consideration for marketing and creative professionals, but total compensation—that considers both financial and non-monetary incentives—often matters more.

66% of professionals say they value work-life offerings most—and nearly half would switch jobs for better balance, even without a salary increase.

Hybrid schedules and flexible hours remain strong bargaining chips in compensation discussions with top talent.

Compelling perks, benefits and a people-first corporate culture can help candidates feel more connected and excited about a role.

Bridge skills gaps with contract talent

A flexible solution when permanent hiring isn’t an option

Whether you need to navigate a hiring slowdown, cover open roles, or manage workload surges and urgent deadlines, interim professionals can step in quickly with the skills and experience to help keep your business running smoothly. Supplementing your marketing and creative team with contract talent can help you stay agile—without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire.

Top certifications and industries

Candidates with in-demand certifications are commanding higher starting salaries, notably in sectors experiencing active hiring and strong demand for specialized skills. These are the most sought-after credentials.

Adobe Certified Professional

CMI Content Strategy Certification

CRM Certification for Salesforce

Google Ads Certification

Google Analytics Certification

Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certification

Meta Blueprint Certifications

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Scrum Master Certification (SMC)

Companies in the following sectors are willing to pay top dollar for the right combination of skills and experience. Likewise, these industries are providing the greatest opportunities for career advancement and salary growth.

Consumer products

Finance/insurance/real estate

Health care

Manufacturing

Professional services

Technology

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The salary benchmarks listed in the Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process so that our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary ranges. Learn more about our salary methodology.

Non-salary data referenced in the Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. Respondents include hiring managers and workers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across Canada.