We're almost halfway through 2026, and the picture is coming into focus. As a specialist marketing recruitment agency, we're in the conversations most organisations aren't having publicly - with the clients trying to build teams and the candidates weighing up their options. The marketing talent market has moved through a period of real disruption - redundancies, restructures, AI noise - and is now settling into a new shape. It's not the market of 2 years ago. Here's what we're seeing on the ground, and what the latest data says to back it up.
Leaner Teams, Broader Briefs
The era of headcount-for-headcount's-sake growth is firmly behind us. Across the organisations we work with - from independent marketing agencies to large in-house teams across Sydney and beyond - we're consistently seeing marketing teams being asked to do more with fewer people. What's striking is how widely this is now accepted as simply the operating norm.
The ABS Job Vacancies data for February 2026 tells part of the story: overall vacancies are still 28.6% below their May 2022 peak, reflecting a market that has fundamentally recalibrated since the post-pandemic hiring boom. SEEK's Senior Economist Blair Chapman notes that while recruitment intensity is picking back up, organisations are approaching headcount with far more discipline - employers are thinking harder about where roles sit, how teams are structured, and what genuinely needs to be added. And yet the competition for the right people hasn't eased. LinkedIn's 2026 talent research - which included Australia in its study group - found that two-thirds of recruiters say it's become harder to find qualified talent over the last year. More candidates in market doesn't mean the right candidates are easier to find.
It's worth noting that candidates aren't feeling confident right now either. LinkedIn's research found that nearly two-thirds of people say finding a new role has become more challenging - with competition cited as the main hurdle. That's a useful reality check for candidates who assume a quieter market means less pressure. It doesn't.
New global CMI research published last month puts a sharper edge on it: 76% of marketers say they're doing the work of more than one person. This has shown up in our own data too. Ninety-one per cent say they're being asked to do more without additional support. And nearly 60% describe their workload as overwhelming. These aren't early warning signs - they're the reality for the majority of marketing professionals right now.
Leaner doesn't have to mean exhausted. But it does require clearer prioritisation, smarter tooling and roles designed around genuine ownership rather than task absorption.
AI: Not the Story You've Been Told
The AI conversation has matured. We're well past "is AI going to replace marketers?" and into something more practical: what does good AI integration actually look like, and what does it mean for the roles we hire for?
As marketing job recruiters, we're seeing this play out directly in briefs from clients. A year ago, AI proficiency was a nice-to-have. Now it's table stakes - and it's shifting salary expectations too.
SEEK data shows that businesses are already using AI to streamline core hiring processes - 76% use it to write job descriptions, 72% to screen resumes. LinkedIn's research reinforces the scale of this shift: 93% of recruiters globally say they plan to increase their use of AI in 2026, and 59% say it's already helping them find candidates they wouldn't have identified through traditional methods. Two-thirds plan to use AI for pre-screening interviews - and 70% believe it leads to better quality conversations with candidates.
On the candidate side, AI tool fluency is rapidly becoming a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator. According to Indeed's 2026 Australian hiring data, AI mentions in Australian job descriptions doubled in just one year - from 2.8% to 5.8% of all postings - with that figure expected to hit 8-10% by end of 2026.
The salary impact is real and measurable. Competitive pay now sits alongside broader considerations including transparent use of AI and clear career pathways - and that organisations aligning reward, culture and capability will be best placed to secure the right people. Employers who haven't updated their hiring criteria to reflect AI fluency risk screening out exactly the talent they need.
The concern worth flagging is the entry-level pipeline. HRD Australia's reporting on 2026 recruitment trends notes that AI is exposing capability gaps faster than ever - and that the routine tasks which used to train junior talent are increasingly automated. As one Australian HR leader put it: "2026 won't be defined by AI replacing people - but by AI exposing capability gaps faster than ever."
The pipeline problem is real: AI can support teams today, but it can't build the mid-level and senior leaders of tomorrow.
Marketing Agencies Are Investing in Growth Again
One of the more interesting shifts we've noticed in the marketing recruitment market is a clear uptick in agencies actively recruiting for in-house business development resources. Whether that's a response to shifting client budgets, renewed confidence or simply a recognition that growth needs dedicated resourcing rather than being left to principals, it's creating real movement in the talent space.
We're fielding more briefs in this space than we were 6 months ago. And from the candidate side, we're seeing experienced BD and client services professionals who are genuinely open to a move - particularly where there's equity, autonomy or a clear path to leadership on the table.
This tracks with a broader theme: in a market where efficiency is everything, organisations are increasingly willing to invest in roles with a direct and measurable impact on revenue. Business development sits squarely in that category.
If you're a marketing agency thinking about this kind of hire, get in touch with our team - or if you're a candidate with that skillset looking for your next move, register with us and let's talk.
What Marketing Candidates Actually Want Right Now
If salary is off the table as a primary lever - and in many organisations right now, it is - what actually moves people?
We've been asking this question directly, and the answers align closely with what the broader Australian data shows. SEEK's Money Matters Report, surveying more than 3,000 Australian workers, found that 65% would choose work-life balance over a higher salary - and that 1 in 4 Australians who can work from home wouldn't return to the office full-time, no matter the pay rise on offer.
That tracks with what we hear from candidates across Sydney every week. The marketing jobs they're most excited about aren't always the highest-paying ones - they're the roles where the brief is interesting, the leadership is strong, and there's genuine room to grow.
SEEK's employer hiring trends data adds a useful tension to this picture: while more candidates are available than 2 years ago, competition for genuinely strong specialist marketing talent remains real. The window to secure high-quality candidates before demand rebounds is open - but it won't stay open indefinitely.
What this means practically: if you're trying to retain strong people in a market where pay rises aren't always possible, invest in culture, leadership quality and development pathways. And if you're hiring - the strongest draw is a well-articulated employee value proposition, not just a job description.
What to Make of All This
The marketing recruitment market in Sydney and across Australia in mid-2026 is genuinely complex - tight but not frozen, cautiously optimistic but still stretched. Teams are under real pressure. AI is reshaping roles faster than hiring practices can keep up. And candidates have recalibrated their expectations significantly.
But the opportunities are real too. Employers who approach this moment with clarity - about what they need, what they offer, and how they're genuinely investing in their people - will attract and retain better talent than those relying on inertia. And for candidates, the market rewards adaptability and a genuine AI mindset, and that window is right now.
We're building out our Marketing Insights and Salary Guide for 2026 to reflect the current market from both a client and candidate perspective. It takes two minutes and it's anonymous - your input shapes what we publish.
