Marketers’ Employment Plans flat in Q1 2013.

Digital and Direct Marketers are beginning the new year with a slight pick-up in the pace of new job growth, according to Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Report for the first quarter of 2013.

“If you even out the peaks and valleys we’re at the same percentage level of new hiring as we were two years ago, so we’re not gaining much ground,” said Jerry Bernhart, leading direct and digital marketing recruiter and principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, which conducts the widely tracked quarterly hiring survey. “And for those who thought their cost of living adjustments were small last year, we now have some data to show that they weren’t alone.”

The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates’ quarter-one (Q1) survey:

47% of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in the current quarter, up from 46% last quarter. One year ago the index stood at 52%.

4% of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, down sharply from 21% in Q4.

The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q1 increased slightly to 6%, compared with 5% last quarter.

Participating companies reported that the average percentage wage increase granted to salaried employees last year was 2.23%. By comparison, the U.S. consumer price index for 2012 rose 1.7%.

Most of the new hiring is coming from agencies and suppliers at 51%, versus 45% for marketers.

Bernhart said that for many digital and direct marketers, annual salary increases of 2 and a quarter percent aren’t doing much to offset deep pay cuts that they had to endure during the Great Recession.

“Many candidates feel they’re still under water, so pay has become a bigger driver for those who are looking to advance their careers,” he said. “But when it comes to compensation, it is still generally a buyer’s market for digital and direct marketing employers.”

When asked which specific jobs will be in greatest need during the coming quarter, employers listed analytic-related jobs on top, followed by sales, creative positions and product managers.

“Newer titles such as Data Scientist and Digital Content Producer are among positions that have begun to appear in recent surveys, and both of these were mentioned in the Q1 survey,” said Bernhart.

Bernhart shared these other empirical observations:

• “We’re beginning the new year the way we ended it: Growth of new jobs is modest, layoffs are low, employers are taking their time to make sure they hire right.”

• “The sharp drop in hiring freezes is encouraging. That clears the way for new hiring if needs arise.”

• “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a high percentage of digital and direct marketers who are ‘passively’ looking. That’s good for companies looking for talent, but not so good for employers who hired and trained those employees.”

• “I’m often asked what the overall unemployment rate would be for digital and direct marketers if such a statistic existed. I would estimate it to be 2 to 2 and a half percentage points below the jobless rate for the overall economy, or around 5-6%. If you want a job in this space, there is one out there for you.”

Bernhart Associates’ Q1 hiring survey was emailed on January 7 and 14 to more than 15,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 338 organizations responded to the nationally followed hiring-trends survey, which is now in its fourteenth year.

For more information at http://www.bernhart.com