A new survey of hundreds of advertising and marketing hiring decision makers has revealed the key roles for which they are experiencing labour shortages and the strategies they are using to attract the talent they need.

The survey, conducted by the team at the Creative Group found that digital initiatives will continue to drive the hiring of creative professionals in Canada in the second half of the year.

According to participating hiring managers, the greatest need is for people with expertise in web and mobile development, user experience, web production, visual design, and user interface and interaction design.

“Digital initiatives are a priority for many organizations today, yet companies often struggle to find professionals with the expertise to develop and manage these programs,” said Deborah Bottineau, of The Creative Group.

The most sought-after creative skills

1. Web and mobile development

2. User experience

3. Web production

4. Visual design

5. User interface and interaction design

6. Marketing strategy

7. User research

8. Email marketing

9. Digital marketing

10. Creative development

[See marketing and advertising or web development jobs on CareerBeacon.]

“To attract top candidates, employers must cultivate and promote an attractive work environment, and move quickly to extend offers that include competitive pay and perks,” said Bottineau.

Advertising and marketing hiring decision-makers engage in a number of different activities when struggling to source creative and marketing talent. Nearly half of respondents (49 percent) said they become more flexible on skills requirements to drum up candidate leads, and more than eight in 10 respondents (83 percent) said they would welcome back a former employee who left on good terms.

Other strategies employers say they are using to source the workers they need include, lowering educational requirements (23 percent) and increasing compensation packages for the role (30 percent).

This marks the second report we’ve seen in as many weeks, indicating companies are willing to pay more to attract the employees they need in a tightening labour market. Which makes this a great time to look for a new job in Canada.