The news: US marketing hiring surged in Q1 2025. Total active job listings increased 9.1% to 90,951, and new job postings jumped 13.3% compared with Q4 2024, per a new Taligence report.

Nearly 50% of listings included salary ranges, up 11.6% YoY. Median salaries for partner and channel marketing listings were up 16.2% to $130,000. Field marketing salaries were flat, and digital marketing salaries decreased by 1.2%.

What fueled growth:

• Roles related to growth marketing grew the most, up 19.3% YoY. Other disciplines with notable growth include media (18.9%) and product marketing (16.7%). However, hiring for communications and PR roles fell 7.3%, and brand marketing jobs fell 3.7%.
• Senior marketing roles grew 15.9% from Q4 2024 and 17.6% YoY.

Yes, but: Economic uncertainty could spell trouble for the labor market, and the upcoming quarter will be critical in determining the marketing industry’s resilience.

Post duration for unfilled roles rose three days from Q4 2024 to 31 days. The trend indicates increased caution in decision-making from employers amid “growing concerns around recession and stagflation,” per Taligence CEO Michael Wright.

Mounting pressures over a Wall Street selloff and a tariff war could spell trouble for the future of the marketing industry. Tariffs are already predicted to impact ad budgets and could have a similar effect on hiring as businesses respond by cutting expenses.

Our take: In this critical moment for the economy, hiring leaders need to focus on high-quality talent while remaining agile.

• Leaders should prioritize hires with versatile skillsets that can adapt to changing conditions and focus on roles with direct business impacts and clear ROI.
• Budget fluctuations later this year are likely—managers should make contingency plans for hiring budgets.
• Leaders should emphasize stability and growth potential to attract and retain candidates who are concerned over job security while maintaining transparency about business outlooks.