AI won’t replace market research. But it will expose weak strategy
Much of the broader conversation around AI in market research assumes conditions that do not consistently exist across many African markets, writes Soyinka Witness.
MARKETING CAREERS
Many UK marketers are changing their jobs as skills shortage bites
By our News Team | 2022
More than 80 percent of businesses questioned for a UK survey said they wanted to employ more marketing staff this year.
In the United Kingdom, the marketers’ job merry-go-round is in full swing, it seems, with nearly three-fifths (58%) planning to change their employer this year.
The same recently published survey also indicates that over four-fifths (81%) of businesses polled are planning to recruit for marketing positions over the coming 12 months. This is in comparison to only 67% of businesses last year.
These surprising figures are listed in the latest seasonal update to the Hay UK Salary Survey. Hays is a major recruitment company in Britain.
The figure of 81% of businesses seeking marketing staff is higher than the current average across the board. Hays says that in sectors other than marketing, 73% of all employers reported that they are currently recruiting staff.
Illustration courtesy of Pixabay
Shortage of skills is a common problem
Researchers found that skills shortages remain widespread in marketing. Four-fifths (80%) of marketing employers say they have experienced skills shortages in the past year, with productivity cited by 40% of employers as the area most severely impacted by these shortages.
But finding to the necessary talent remains a challenge for most businesses. Hays found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of companies expect to encounter a shortage of suitable applicants.
Improving salaries has been one strategy to counter the problem. More than half of the marketers questioned said they had received a salary increase in the past year. The average increase was just over 2%, and while that may seem fairly low, people working in sectors such as digital and online marketing received increases much higher than the industry average.
Remote hiring of marketing talent is common, with 43% of employers saying they are currently hiring or plan to hire remotely, which is notably higher than the national average of only 28%. Around 90% of employers planning to hire remotely say the salaries for fully remote employees will be the same as those who are in the workplace some, or all, of the time.
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