Media agency employee numbers have bounced back from Covid job losses, the Media Federation of Australia (MFA) census has revealed.
The census, completed by MFA member agencies in September 2021, shows the industry has seen an impressive 19.1% increase and higher-than-normal vacancy levels.
Australian media agencies are currently employing more people than before with 4,412 individuals – an increase from 3,703 in 2020 and 3,902 in 2019.
While there has been a rise in numbers, the vacancy rate has doubled to 12%.
Linda Wong, director people at the MFA, said: “The initial contraction in the media agency population in response to the Covid-19 pandemic is well behind us, with the biggest growth in population ever recorded by the MFA Census in 20-plus years of measurement.
“The pressing challenge for the industry now is the lack of talent to fill positions, compounded by the global talent shortage. In 2022, I expect our industry’s focus to remain on recruitment and retention, and ensuring all new recruits are supported to thrive and grow.”
These vacancies come from demand Implementation, Client Service, Performance and Programmatic positions – a reflection of the increasing importance of automation and data in the industry.
In the last five years roles in Analytics have had the steepest increase, followed by Manager and Execution level positions with two to five years of experience.
Not surprisingly, industry churn in the 12 months to 30 September 2021 increased to 34% – from 23.3% in 2020, when many people chose to remain in their existing roles in the face of Covid-19 uncertainty.
Women in leadership roles have only dropped by one percentage point, as 43% of all management roles are held by women. This continues to be higher than the Australian workforce average of women holding 32.5% of key management positions, as recorded by the Federal Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). Similarly, the pay gap between men and women’s average annual salary remained 3%, significantly better than the Australian average of 14.2%.
The census found that industry is mainly made up of women at 61% with an average of 32.3 years, which is up from 31.9 in 2020.
It also recorded an increase of media agency employees with less than five years experience, following the pause of hiring entry level staff in 2020.
Those with less than five years of experience now make up 45% of the industry, while people with six to 10 years of experience make 27%, followed by 15% with 11 to 15 years of experience.
MFA CEO Sophie Madden said: “Completed by every single MFA member agency, the annual Census provides an important and accurate snapshot of the health of media agencies, and we’re happy to see the industry tracking well after two particularly challenging years.
“The Census reinforces the severity of the global talent shortage, but I am confident we can work together to address this pressing issue through training and development and supporting our people, and improved ways of working.”
The Media Communications Agency Industry Census is free to MFA members.