Recruitment crisis deepens as job applicants dry up

The marketing industry’s talent crisis has been laid bare in a new report which reveals that there have been just over 8,000 applications for more than 107,000 vacancies during the past three months, as the struggle to fill crucial roles continues.

According to the Michael Page Marketing & Digital Salary Guide, London and the Home Counties still dominate the market, accounting for nearly three-quarters (72,938) of all vacancies, with digital roles the most in demand. Even so, applicants are thin on the ground.

Michael Page manager Florence Kirby insists that one of the biggest challenges companies face in securing the talent they want is their hiring timelines.

She points out that changes in legislation mean that the mobility of candidates moving into the UK has reduced, while candidates are also more hesitant to move due to the ongoing economic crisis. These two issue combined means there is a much smaller candidate pool available, with a high number of vacancies currently open.

Kirby added: “Candidates are often in numerous processes at the same time, making it much more competitive, therefore speed of process is essential. In order to secure the best talent, you need to be decisive and flexible with candidates.

“The businesses which are most successful are those that maintain quick, engaging and succinct processes with little time between each stage.”

The most popular role is head of performance marketing, followed by marketplace manager, digital marketing manager and head of ecommerce.

Head of CRM is in fifth place, followed by brand manager, comms manager, head of internal comms, marketing director and content lead.

When it comes to the key skills employers are looking for “analysis of large scale data sets” is up there with the usual suspects of “communication”, “people development experience”, “budgeting” and “stakeholder management”.

The key emerging skills for the marketing professionals of the future, however, include “experience in marketplace management”, “employer branding experience”, and “software proficiencies”.

The report also flags up the huge North/South pay divide. The top salary for a marketing director in London and the Home Counties for instance is £150,000 a year, while in the North and Midlands it is £90,000 and in Wales and the South-West it is £80,000.

For a head of digital marketing it is £110,000, £75,000 and £70,000 respectively, while for a head of CRM the figures are £100,000, £90,000 and £60,000.

Michael Page marketing and digital senior manager Sarah Johnson concluded: “There are many things employers can do to attract top talent in today’s competitive, candidate-driven market.

“Things such as having a quality job description, an in-depth candidate pack, competitive benefits such as healthcare, flexible holidays and pension, as well as an efficient and timely recruitment process, will all play a huge part in your business winning top talent.

“It’s also important to promote your internal training and development plans to them throughout the hiring process.”