Bernhart Associates Hiring Survey
PRESS RELEASE
January 22,2013
Contact:
Jerry Bernhart
507.451.4270
survey@bernhart.com
About: The Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report, now in its fourteenth year, has become the most widely followed employment report in digital and direct marketing and measures employers' hiring plans for the coming quarter. It is the only forward-looking employment survey of its kind in digital and direct marketing and unparalleled in size and scope, distributed to more than 15,000 digital and direct marketers.
Bernhart Associates' Q1 Hiring Survey Released:
Marketers’ Employment Plans Flat
Average Salary Increases are 2.23% for 2012
Owatonna, MN, January 22, 2013—Digital and Direct Marketers are beginning the new year with a slight pick-up in the pace of new job growth, according to Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Report for the first quarter of 2013.
"If you even out the peaks and valleys we're at the same percentage level of new hiring as we were two years ago, so we're not gaining much ground," said Jerry Bernhart, leading direct and digital marketing recruiter and principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, which conducts the widely tracked quarterly hiring survey. "And for those who thought their cost of living adjustments were small last year, we now have some data to show that they weren't alone."
The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates’ quarter-one (Q1) survey:
- 47% of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in the current quarter, up from 46% last quarter. One year ago the index stood at 52%.
For more on our specific CRM and loyalty recruiting capabilities, please visit our dedicated CRM Recruiter website. - 14% of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, down sharply from 21% in Q4.
- The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q1 increased slightly to 6%, compared with 5% last quarter.
- Participating companies reported that the average percentage wage increase granted to salaried employees last year was 2.23%. By comparison, the U.S. consumer price index for 2012 rose 1.7%.
- Most of the new hiring is coming from agencies and suppliers at 51%, versus 45% for marketers.
Bernhart said that for many digital and direct marketers, annual salary increases of 2 and a quarter percent aren't doing much to offset deep pay cuts that they had to endure during the Great Recession.
"Many candidates feel they're still under water, so pay has become a bigger driver for those who are looking to advance their careers," he said. "But when it comes to compensation, it is still generally a buyer's market for digital and direct marketing employers."
When asked which specific jobs will be in greatest need during the coming quarter, employers listed analytic-related jobs on top, followed by sales, creative positions and product managers.
"Newer titles such as Data Scientist and Digital Content Producer are among positions that have begun to appear in recent surveys, and both of these were mentioned in the Q1 survey," said Bernhart.
Bernhart shared these other empirical observations:
- "We're beginning the new year the way we ended it: Growth of new jobs is modest, layoffs are low, employers are taking their time to make sure they hire right."
- "The sharp drop in hiring freezes is encouraging. That clears the way for new hiring if needs arise."
- "I don't think I've ever seen such a high percentage of digital and direct marketers who are 'passively' looking. That's good for companies looking for talent, but not so good for employers who hired and trained those employees."
- "I'm often asked what the overall unemployment rate would be for digital and direct marketers if such a statistic existed. I would estimate it to be 2 to 2 and a half percentage points below the jobless rate for the overall economy, or around 5-6%. If you want a job in this space, there is one out there for you."
Bernhart Associates’ Q1 hiring survey was emailed on January 7 and 14 to more than 15,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 338 organizations responded to the nationally followed hiring-trends survey, which is now in its fourteenth year.
According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2012, marketers — commercial and nonprofit —will spend $168.5 billion on direct marketing, which accounts for 52.7 percent of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures will generate approximately $2.05 trillion in incremental sales. In 2012, direct marketing accounts for 8.7 percent of total US gross domestic product and produces1.3 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly support 7.9 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.2 million US jobs.
Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates' website.
Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the front page of the digital and direct marketing recruiting firm’s website.
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New! To keep informed of our current career opportunities be sure to join my LinkedIn Group, Digital and Direct Marketing Careers. Job alerts are issued weekly. Also, feel free to send me a LinkedIn invitation and follow me on Twitter.
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About Bernhart Associates
Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, is owned by Jerry Bernhart, a leading and nationally recognized digital and direct marketing recruiter, writer, and speaker. Founded in 1990, Bernhart Associates today recruits for positions at all levels in Multichannel Direct Marketing, CRM, E-Commerce, Database Marketing, Business Development and Marketing Analytics. Respected as a leading authority on issues related to digital and direct marketing recruiting, Jerry is a frequent speaker at national marketing conferences and is often quoted by the digital and direct marketing news media. Jerry has written dozens of articles for leading online and offline multichannel marketing publications.
The Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report, now in its fourteenth year, has become the most widely followed employment report in digital and direct marketing and measures employers' hiring plans for the coming quarter. It is the only forward-looking employment survey of its kind in digital and direct marketing and unparalleled in size and scope.
Bernard (Bernie) Silverman and Affiliates, Naperville, IL, contributes research and analysis for the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Bernie has held senior level positions with prominent direct marketing research and analysis service providers for more than 30 years, and is an adjunct instructor of statistics in the MBA program at Benedictine University.
He can be reached at bernie@bsilverman.com
Douglas Berger, a New York City speechwriter and corporate communications professional, provides P.R. assistance for Bernhart Associates. He can be contacted at douglasbergernyc@gmail.com
Join your colleagues by keeping up on the latest digital and direct marketing hiring trends with our quarterly digital and direct marketing employment updates, the most widely followed and quoted hiring and employment reports in digital and direct marketing. A must for hiring managers or anyone who wants to keep updated on employment trends in digital and direct marketing. If you're not already on our list, send an email to survey@bernhart.com, and put "opt-in" in the subject line.
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| A proud member of many regional and national direct marketing associations, Minnesota Association of Personnel Services, Database Marketing Institute and Advisory Board of Data University. | |