While more marketing leaders expect to add to their teams in the next quarter, the net balance for recruitment intention has dipped, reports IPA Bellwether.
Hiring intention from senior marketers to add to their teams remains in the negative, according to IPA Bellwether data shared exclusively with Marketing Week.
After hitting a four-year low in April 2025, employment prospects for marketers have dipped again, as brand leaders show a reluctancy to add headcount to their teams.
Hiring intention from senior marketers to add to their teams remains in the negative, according to IPA Bellwether data shared exclusively with Marketing Week.
After hitting a four-year low in April 2025, employment prospects for marketers have dipped again, as brand leaders show a reluctancy to add headcount to their teams.
More than a quarter (28.8%) of marketing leaders expect to make cuts to their teams in the first three months of 2026, up from 22.8% in the previous quarter.
However, the percentage of leaders expecting to add to their teams is up. Going into the new year, 20.9% expect to add headcount to their teams, compared with 17.5% last quarter.
It’s a story of two halves. Marketers’ intention to recruit and cut are both higher than the previous three months, while the percentage of marketing leaders who expect employment to stay the same is 50.3% – lower than last quarter’s 59.6%.
This means overall recruitment intention sits at –8%, a drop from the –5.3% figure recorded across the last six months.
Explaining the data, IPA points to the current economic climate’s prolonged impact on businesses, stemming from greater payroll costs following rises in National Insurance contributions and minimum wage rates.
However, senior marketing recruiters are positive about the state of hiring at the top end going into 2026.
Speaking to Marketing Week for our 2026 Year Ahead series, headhunter Suzie Walker suggested the tide is turning on marketing recruitment.
Walker’s company, Suzie Walker Executive Search, recorded a 438% increase in new senior marketing registrations between the first half of 2024 and the first half of 2025. This marks a significant increase in those signing up to find job opportunities, reflecting the high number of marketers who’ve found themselves out of work.
Going into 2026, she sees indications of recovery.
“Not only are we seeing a slowdown in new registrations, but we’re also seeing an upturn in people accepting new roles,” Walker explained.
Click here to read the full analysis of marketing recruitment in 2026.