Two thirds of Canadian marketing organizations plan to expand their team in the first half of 2020, with a particular emphasis on user experience, according to a new report from staffing firm The Creative Group.
Freelance usage is also on the rise, with two-thirds of respondents in the new State of Creative Hiring report also indicating they plan to increase the number of freelancers they use—a 10% increase from six months ago.
And 92% of people surveyed indicated that it is “somewhat” or “very challenging” to locate the creative talent they need, up from 79% six months ago. The report says that employer needs fall under five main areas:
- Digital strategy
- Motion graphics
- Customer experience, user interface design, AI and machine learning, front-end web development
- Social media management
- Data analysis, content creation and content marketing, UX design, video production.
The Creative Group also indicated that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for organizations to hold onto marketing talent, with nearly three-quarters (71%) saying that staff retention is harder than it was a year ago.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they experience the most turnover among mid-level employees. Increased bonuses (53%) and better benefits (49%) were the most commonly used retention strategies.
“With business needs and workflows constantly shifting, many companies recognize the benefits of hiring specialized creative talent on an as-needed basis to support and augment their existing teams,” said The Creative Group’s district president, Deobrah Bottineau, in a release.
The report is based on online interviews with more than 200 advertising and marketing managers working at companies with 20 or more employees.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
