The number of job openings for marketers has increased by 2% in the past year but the number of permanent placements has gone down 21% as firms turn to temporary staff to help alleviate the skills gap.
"Quite simply workers have been unable to meet the demands of our increasingly digital world, resulting in a mismanagement of expectations within hiring organisations looking to quickly develop their digital marketing strategy," said Simon Lewis, the founder of recruitment firm Only Marketing Jobs.
Lewis said a limited number of experienced digital professionals are snapped up quickly by employers and the rest are subject to an "elongated beauty pageant style round of interviews, hoping to convince the judges that their skills are up to scratch".
"Additionally, technology and associated analytics - formally the exclusive domain of IT - is muddying the waters as companies seek the 'all-in-one' marketing and technologically capable employee," he added.
IT placements down
APSCo's data also revealed the permanent IT market has been in decline with placements down by 14% and vacancies down 16%. Organisations are replacing permanent roles with temporary placements, which have increased by 2.7% year-on-year.
"Although vacancies are dropping off slightly, premium candidates at the senior end of the market are still in demand for enterprise change, business intelligence and change management roles," said Victoria Maloney, global operations director at SThree.
"We are continuing to experience growth in the contract market as employers take advantage of the benefits of a more mobile workforce without fixed headcount costs."
