Hiring across marketing and creative roles is showing signs of uplift as digital transformation drives demand for specialist skills. That’s according to the latest data from international recruitment expert, Robert Half.

In its latest Hiring Intentions survey, the specialist in marketing and creative recruitment noted an uptick in plans to recruit in the remit. The number of employers intending to expand their permanent marketing headcount in the first half of 2025 is up seven percentage points on figures from H2 last year.

More than a third, i.e. 37 per cent, of firms will be hiring for permanent marketing and creative teams by the summer, while 26 per cent intend to recruit more contract resources. According to Robert Half, this demand is likely being driven by the growing need for digital transformation in the marketing remit.

Madeleine Barnes, Practice Manager at Robert Half comments, “The marketing function is usually the first to feel the impact of economic slowdowns, so this uptick in hiring intentions is highly promising. With digital transformation in marketing and content growing in demand, much of this optimism is likely being driven by a need for specialists in digital marketing in particular. Indeed, we’re seeing significant demand for digital marketing specialists, social media managers, CRM experts and SEO and Paid Search professionals with design and content skills of particular interest for employers.”

“However, we also can’t ignore that those in this profession play a crucial role in supporting sales teams across every business. Marketers and creatives act as the key to boosting business growth, which makes this hiring trend all the more promising following what has been a challenging year”, she adds.