The 10 highest marketing salary increases for the year ahead

In our UK Salary & Recruiting Trends 2024 guide, we received insights from over 600 employers and employees in the marketing industry, offering a comprehensive picture of marketing salaries, recruiting trends and candidate expectations. Our latest data gives rise to three crucial questions:

• What’s influencing marketing salaries?
• Which top jobs in marketing are seeing above-average increases?
• How can employers secure top marketing talent?

Marketing jobs salaries

While the most in-demand marketing professionals will generally draw higher salaries, a continued cost-of-living crisis – coupled with on-going skills shortages – has compelled employers to keep salaries competitive across the board.

Our survey data revealed that over three-quarters (78%) of employers increased marketing salaries in the past year, with almost two-thirds (64%) attributing pay increases to the rise in living costs. This would seem to align with employee sentiment, with over half (51%) of marketers stating that the cost-of-living crisis is making them more inclined to move roles – primarily due to an inadequate salary (63%).

Skills in demand

With 87% of marketing employers suffering skills shortages, the hiring arena remains a tight one. While a technical aptitude is required for certain marketing roles, the emergence of AI tools – which over half (53%) of marketing employers say their organisations is using – has decreased the shelf-life of more niche skills.

Along with the ever-evolving nature of today’s workplaces, there’s a greater call for more transferable core marketing skills that support business agility. Being a strong communicator will always be a priority, but it’s clear that employers also value marketing professionals who are willing to adapt to change and produce innovative solutions.

Top three most in-demand soft skills for marketing employers:

• Communication interpersonal skills (69%)
• Problem solving (55%)
• Flexibility (53%)
   

Top UK marketing salaries in 2024:

The average marketing salary rose by 2.6% over the last year. While this increase falls short of the UK average (3.5%), our salary data shows that some areas have seen more significant salary uplifts.

Events roles have seen the largest average salary increase (4.9%) in the sector, driven in part by the increase of face-to-face events following a pause during the pandemic, while PR and internal communications professionals received an average pay increase of 3.4% – on a par with the UK average.

However, certain digital-orientated roles can expect above average salary increases, and are often some of the best paid marketing jobs. More organisations are looking to leverage emerging tech that provides new ways of engaging customers and personalising journeys, increasing the demand for digital marketing experts.
 

Marketing job salaries: Key takeaways

The proliferation of widely accessible artificial intelligence (AI) tools has empowered organisations to engage with their customers in more efficient and bespoke ways, and rapidly create a range of marketing content that can keep pace with the sector’s break-neck pace.

Organisations looking to attract talent that can tap into the latest marketing trends and tech must first contend with persistent skills shortages and rising living costs – and the resulting expectation for higher salaries. However, securing the best marketers will force organisations to take a more holistic look at their offering, from company culture to meaning and purpose.
 

Marketing job salaries: Next steps for your business

Skills shortages, coupled with ongoing cost of living concerns, may mean that organisations can’t afford to fall below market salary expectations when luring marketers from the security of an existing role. Most employers appear to be aware of this reality, and 71% are planning to increase their employees’ salaries in the year ahead.

However, differentiating your organisation in a tight hiring market will require more than just a competitive salary. Marketing employees clearly value organisations that offer an engaging and supportive team culture, with eight out of ten (80%) citing this as the most appealing draw to a new employer. Our survey data also suggests that there is strong appetite for organisational purpose, which nine in ten professionals (90%) consider important when evaluating a new role.

To secure the best marketing talent, the onus is on organisations to provide a balance between competitive pay and fulfilling workplace environments that allow marketers to make a difference.

For a comprehensive look at salaries across the entire marketing industry, along with exclusive employer insights, download our UK Salary and Recruitment Trends 2024 guide.