Update & insights in the current market 2022

​The Market 

It’s still booming since our last update approx. 6 months ago! Since the start of April 2021, and the new financial year for many, businesses have wanted and/or needed to get their growth plans back on track. Because of this, there have been multiple roles to fill, in order to meet business objectives quickly.  Not only this, but the pandemic propelled digital transformation in an unprecedented way which has driven a need to up skill and drive digital growth in new areas. 

We continue to see a fairly even spread of demand across Creative, Digital and Marketing, though with very niche requirements over the last 6 months. More of that below!

For the skill sets that are in high demand, and fighting for candidates, we have seen an inevitable increase in salaries and benefits. We will be publishing our latest salary survey in a couple of weeks so do look out for that. Whilst there is high demand for certain skill sets, others do remain in demand with plenty of opportunities out there.

Roles

On the senior-level creative side of things, we are being asked for ‘digital first’ Designers who have good experience in how to attract and engage consumers in the online space, especially social. It’s not proved easy, and we would ask any Junior or MW level people, who are already immersed in digital campaign work, to get in touch. There could be good opportunities to take the next step into a more Senior role!

The need for UX specialists is off the scale! With the transformation to consumption in the online space, UX has become integral to the success of many businesses and agencies, and we can’t see the demand relenting. If you’re a Designer who prefers the logic and psychology behind visual communication, over the craft of UI, then specialising as a career path could be a good idea!

We have also had a flurry of Junior level positions, which we love! These have been a good mix of brand and campaign work. From all the feedback we received, we would advise strongly developing a book with a variety of branding, web and campaign – even if these are dummy briefs.

The demand for PR, agency side, is significant. Agencies have changed a lot in the last two years, with a much better focus on work-life balance and a real focus on their team’s well-being. The stigma of agency life and unsociable hours are long gone. Their remit is also much broader than ever, including Digital PR, PR with some experience in social media account management and even Content Writers with experience in writing for PR. So, if you had written off the idea of agency PR, do talk to Michelle Mumford as she will give you a rundown of what they are offering these days.

On the marketing side of things, the need for specialists in PPC and SEO has been unrelenting. We have some really good knowledge in this area, so if anyone needs to get salary advice or wider advice on the PPC market, please ask! And, all-round digital marketing, marketing, brand, comms and content roles remain steady and in demand with plenty of opportunities out there. Whilst we have seen an increase in the need for Specialists, commercially minded ‘360’ Marketers with a breadth of experience across multiple channels and sectors are still very much in demand, especially within the SME market.

Our new ‘Creative Media’ sector (also known as ‘digital media’ or ‘moving content’) is growing. The demand outside of London has mainly come from agencies and in-house studios looking for Motion Design and Multi-disciplinary Design – though very recently we have pure Videography and Video/Journalist roles coming through.

Lastly, agency client services continue to be buoyant with an increase on the digital side of things (Digital AMs, Digital PMs) – so if anyone is looking, integrated or digital, do get in touch with Louise Smith.

What’s next?

We are reliably informed by various industry experts, and our own client conversations, that the market in the creative and marketing industry will remain booming. It’s reassuring that this buoyant market has continued since April '21, in that the world appears to be a very secure place. We haven’t seen any hire/fire going on for a long time.

Salaries will remain healthier than they have been in a long while, with benefits getting increasingly attractive.

We hope all the good people in the Creative & Marketing world are happy and doing well!