Fall Marketing Jobs Outlook: Connections, Collaborations, Continual Learning

What’s next for marketing professionals?

This question is always on the minds of our team as we aim to keep our audience informed about the volatile outlook for their careers and industry. Marketing has always been a fast-shifting discipline; the evolution of customer behaviors and the rapid growth of AI technology are only accelerating the rate of change.

At LinkedIn, we are fortunate to have access to unique data and resources that can offer powerful insight into job trends, from in-demand skills to fast-growing roles. To get a clear read on where things stand for our Fall Marketing Jobs Outlook report, we surveyed thousands of marketing professionals around the globe, analyzed aggregated jobs and skills data from the LinkedIn platform, and reviewed findings from the 2024 B2B Marketing Benchmark.

These are some of the key takeaways that stood out:

• After a slowdown in 2023, the job market recovered and picked up over the course of 2024.
• Marketers are generally satisfied with their current jobs, but many are open to new opportunities.
• Marketing pros are feeling the pressure to keep up with change and meet rising expectations.
• "Human" skills continue to gain importance, with Collaborative Problem-Solving standing out as the skill of the year for marketers.
  

You’re invited to dive into the full report for an in-depth exploration of these trends! But first, you can read on for a sneak-peek at some of the data and key insights.

Marketing jobs are growing again after a downturn.

Last year was a tough one for marketing, as well as many other professions. In our last Marketing Jobs Outlook report we noted the harsh environment for job hunters, with overall marketing job postings down 42% in 2023 compared to 2022. However, we also saw hope for a turnaround, with 83% of CMOs saying they were likely to hire this year. 

Fortunately, that positive indicator seems to have proven legitimate. Our new Jobs Outlook report finds that in the past year, overall marketing job posts were up 76% compared to the same period in 2023, although in the B2B space that figure was only 21 percent. Check out the report for region- and industry-specific jobs trends.

Marketers are happy with their jobs, but open-minded about opportunities.

A full 91% of B2B marketers say they are satisfied with their current job, with CMOs and C-Suite more likely than Directors/Managers to express complete satisfaction. However, 55% of marketers say they are either actively searching for a new job or willing to leave if the right opportunity comes along. 

The rate of change in the marketing field can feel overwhelming.

The dynamic nature of working in marketing is one factor that makes it such an exciting career. But the lack of a stable norm can also be daunting. Nearly three-fourths of marketing professionals (72%) say they feel overwhelmed by how quickly their job is changing, and more than half (53%) worry about being left behind in their career.

A majority of marketers expect AI to significantly alter how they work within the next year — even more so within the next five years — and the integration of artificial intelligence into everyday tasks is the No. 1 change being experienced in the workplace. 

There is tremendous incentive for marketing pros of all stripes to focus on developing AI skills so they can be proficient with this technology and get the most out of it. To help you get started, here are five top AI-related learning courses for marketers:

• What Is Generative AI?
• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
• Introduction to Prompt Engineering for Generative AI (2023)
• Prompt Engineering: How to Talk to the Ais
• Generative AI for Digital Marketers
  

Collaborative Problem-Solving is the marketing skill of the year.

Human-centric skills like relationship-building, agility, creativity, teamwork and emotional intelligence are only growing more critical in the age of AI. These qualities all contribute to Collaborative Problem-Solving, which saw 138% growth from 2021 to 2023. Bringing together different viewpoints, experiences and areas of expertise — producing novel solutions to new and old problems through ingenuity — is something machines will never be able to synthesize. Marketers are smartly leaning in.

Combining this collaborative specialization with a base level of technical know-how is the winning combination for today’s marketers. These specific hard skills emerged as most added to profiles of marketers over the past three years:

1. Creative execution (443%)
2. Artificial intelligence (392%)
3. Marketing technology (351%)

You'll find plenty more great information and trends in the Fall Marketing Jobs Outlook, including top priorities for marketing leaders seeking talent, more popular courses to grow your skills, and the hottest marketing jobs per career stage and region. Explore the full report and spearhead the future of your profession!