A new report published by a major recruitment organisation says that the marketing industry is set to use freelancers and contractors in a big way this year.
In fact, more than 40 per cent of industry experts surveyed by Michael Page reported their expectations that the number of marketing freelancers or umbrella service company workers is likely to increase over the next 12 months. Digital marketing skills are going to be especially in demand this year, said Michael Page, what with 41 per cent of companies reporting that any skills shortages in their workforce would likely to be remedied by calling on the services of outside workers.
As far as geographical breakdown, the north has been an absolute superstar over the past year and is expected to keep performing quite well, mostly due to the growth of the financial services sector in the region. Not to be left out, the south-east was also a strong performer, especially in the business services sector; even London was relatively stable last year, and there was some evidence that some companies may be beginning to look for marketers in higher numbers than they have over the past few years.
2013 will most likely bring opportunities to marketers working in higher education according to the predictions made by the report, especially since universities are expected to compete harder for new students due to increased tuition fees. Another area predicted for growth was the public sector, though there is still a lot of uncertainty with how much of an effect increased IR35 enforcement will impede the growth of public departments using contract workers.
Still, the report is obviously some very good news for anyone attempting to find work in the marketing industry right now. Even freelancers and contractors have had to hustle to find gainful employment in some sectors and instances – ironically the same economic downturn that drove firms to use umbrella companies to fulfill staffing needs in an effort to keep down costs have driven these same companies to scale back their staffing needs even further, as even the substantial savings companies can make by using flexible workers sometimes cannot counteract the rather daunting costs that accompany the fact that the economy is, for lack of a better term, still pretty miserable.
Still, freelancers and contractors are soldiering on the best they can; it’s still better to have the flexibility of working for whomever is interested than trying to eke out a living as a permanent worker in an employment market that isn’t looking for traditional employees, if you ask me. I can only hope that the economy can finally get back on its feet so permanent and interim workers alike can get back to work in greater numbers!
