A new survey from HR consultancy Robert Half points to a persistent talent gap in the marketing field.

The staffing agency’s latest Demand for Skilled Talent report shows that 56% of 245 marketing and creative hiring managers surveyed said that finding skilled talent is more difficult today than a year ago. Only 2% of leaders reported having the necessary headcount and skill sets to accomplish priority projects in 2026 and 59% said that upskilling of current teams was a necessity. Seventy-three per cent of senior hiring managers expect to increase headcount in the first half of 2026, while 69% plan to increase contract hiring.

Skills gaps were most prevalent in SEO and paid search marketing (23%), AI and machine-learning applications (22%), marketing automation (22%), email-campaign strategy and execution (21%) and brand or product marketing (20%).

Job descriptions experiencing above-average growth and demand year over year are digital marketing manager, graphic designer, marketing manager; product designer, product manager, PR manager, social media manager, UX designer.

The roles of product designer (plus-44%), product manager (plus-21%) and graphic designer (plus 5%) had the highest year-over-year increases in demand, though they had fewer job postings total, or “consistent demand” within the ranking system, compared with positions like marketing manager or PR manager.

The report also outlined the five key marketing and creative trends that hiring managers are focused in order of ranking: AI and machine-learning integration, marketing analytics and performance, social media and influencer, marketing strategy, brand and visual identity strategy and customer experience and personalization.