Third quarter marketing vacancies in the UK grew by 21% between 2013 and 2014, new figures from professional recruiter Robert Walters reveal.
The company’s Job Index, which tracks vacancies as they are posted to leading boards and websites, also shows that advertised marketing jobs grew by seven per cent between the second and third quarters of 2014.
With a 19% rise, the North West saw the largest rate of year-on-year growth, followed closely by the Midlands on 18%. Both regions narrowly outperformed London, which generated 15% more vacancies compared to a year ago.
Tim Gilbert (pictured), director of marketing mecruitment at Robert Walters, said: “The Job Index reflects much of what we are seeing in the current market – a revival in candidate confidence, improved hiring budgets and widespread recognition of the importance of bigger pay packets to attracting skilled marketers.
“Taken with the growing prevalence of ‘buy-back’ counteroffers and the need to retain valued team members, these numbers prove how integral a strong marketing team is to achieving business growth. Demand is especially intense for commercially-minded individuals with a track record for innovation and delivering high returns on investment.
“To establish clear blue water from the competition, employers are having to speed up hiring and demonstrate greater flexibility on benefits and bonuses to fill vacancies with first choice candidates.”