Demand remains high for marketing and creative professionals as we move further into 2025. Because of the ongoing talent squeeze and other challenging hiring trends, employers must work harder to recruit and retain top talent for both permanent and contract roles if they want to meet their goals in the months ahead.
As a manager, knowing the most in-demand positions allows you to better compete for promising candidates while reinforcing your retention efforts for roles at greatest risk of turnover. Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report can help. It highlights the latest data from surveys of hiring managers and our analysis of thousands of job postings to help you make informed hiring and management decisions.
Here are some key takeaways from the report:
2025 In-Demand Marketing and Creative Roles and Hiring Trends
What does the marketing and creative hiring market look like?
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the unemployment rate for marketing specialists was 3.6% during Q4 2024, and the rate for advertising and promotions managers was 2.3%. Other marketing and creative positions with unemployment rates trending well below the 4.1% national average in December include web developers (0.3%) and editors (1.6%).
Top industries hiring for marketing and creative roles include business and professional services, manufacturing and transportation, and technology.
What are the major hiring trends in the marketing and creative hiring market?
Marketing and creative teams are at a crossroads, with customer expectations for personalized experiences reaching new heights, requiring a delicate balance between technological advancement and authentic human connection.
Marketing and creative leaders face limited budgets, talent shortages, the rising tide of AI projects, and the challenge of finding professionals with a complex blend of creative insight, technical prowess and commercial acumen. Today’s candidates must be adept at analyzing data to understand consumer behaviors and create personalized experiences that resonate with target audiences.
According to the report, marketing and creative teams are focused this year on key areas like customer experience, AI and machine learning, content marketing, website and mobile applications, marketing automation and SEO and paid search marketing.
As the field continues to evolve, a team’s ability to adapt and learn will be paramount. The professionals in highest demand will embrace continuous learning, staying ahead of emerging technologies while never losing sight of the creative spark that drives meaningful engagement.
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Explore our Demand for Skilled Talent report to see what specializations employers need most.
Managers planning increased recruitment in first half of 2025
Marketing and creative managers are bracing for the challenges of securing top-tier talent in an improving job market, with 68% planning to hire for new permanent roles and 29% hiring for vacated roles only. Chief reasons these managers plan to staff up in the first half of 2025 are company growth (57%), followed by new projects (49%) and employee turnover (45%).
However, 91% of marketing and creative leaders said it’s challenging to find skilled talent. At the same time, 72% of these leaders plan to increase their use of contract professionals through 2025.
How to compete for marketing and creative talent in a challenging hiring environment
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In today’s competitive hiring market, attracting and retaining top marketing and creative professionals requires a mix of strategies.
Salaries that meet or beat market rates are vital, but workplace flexibility, including remote and hybrid options, is prioritized by many candidates. In the marketing and creative field, 54% of new job postings have recently been for on-site positions, 29% for hybrid and 17% for fully remote roles. Policies promoting other ways to achieve work-life balance such as personal wellness days and parental leave can also set you apart from other companies seeking the same talent.
The opportunity to work with emerging technologies can be a magnet for today's marketing and creative professionals—and another way to compete for skilled talent. In particular, candidates see working with AI as an opportunity to develop highly sought skills that can enhance their career trajectory.
And don’t forget how important it is to streamline your hiring processes. Delays often result in losing top candidates to your competitors.
Beyond these internal measures, partnering with specialized recruiters can help you identify and access high-potential candidates who may not actively be job hunting.
Want to know more about hiring trends? Check out the Demand for Skilled Talent report.
About the Demand for Skilled Talent report
The Demand for Skilled Talent report by Robert Half is an authoritative source providing essential insights into employment trends. This report has offered a deep dive into the U.S. hiring landscape for over a decade, spotlighting challenges and strategies to attract and retain talent. It explores what employees seek in their careers, identifies common recruitment errors and suggests solutions. The report spans finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources, proving crucial for business leaders and managers.