What to expect from the comms job market in 2025

Whether you’re hiring or job hunting, here’s what you need to know.

While the overall communications job market is still slow, early 2025 shows some encouraging signs of recovery.

“The first couple of weeks in January, I have seen more volume of (communications-related) assignments open than the last couple of months of 2024,” said Peter McDermott, a senior client partner and head of corporate affairs, North America at Korn Ferry. He works with clients ranging from higher education and nonprofit to Fortune 500 brands.

 

 

“It’s really all over the place,” he continued. “We’re seeing industry diversity – private equity, asset management, family offices, banking and financial services, all the way over to healthcare and telecom.”

Despite positive signs, market still faces challenges

Despite these positive indications, the broader hiring landscape remains subdued for marketing and communications roles.

The marketing and media/communications sectors have been among the hardest hit since the pandemic. When comparing current job openings to February 2020, they’ve endured drops of 24% and 26%, respectively, according to data from Indeed.

Nationally, the unemployment rate continued to hover around 4.1% for December, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Professional and business services, which includes comms positions, is at 3.7% but it’s a broad category.

“Jobseekers looking for roles in these professions are certainly going to have a harder time than a few years ago,” said Allison Shrivastava, who works at Indeed Hiring Lab, which focuses on job market data insights.

Which also means that employers now have a larger pool of candidates to choose from. Shrivastava pointed out that this shift allows companies to be more selective about candidate qualifications and experience.

“I think it’s important to put the data into perspective over the last few years,” she said, highlighting that while hiring was extremely robust in 2022, the market now reflects more normal conditions.

Hiring with caution

While the U.S. job market continues to evolve, companies are still looking to expand their teams – but sometimes those roles are outside the U.S.

Chevron, for instance, is adding at least two media analysts to its 115-person communications team, with these positions based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Philippines.

The oil and gas giant has comms pros in hubs around the globe, largely in California and Houston. The Houston hub will probably grow, according to Sean McCormack, Chevron’s VP of communications, as the company consolidates its corporate functions there through 2027.

Chevron’s communications team handles a wide range of functions, including advertising, brand management, internal and external relations, social media, and media outreach. They also use outside agencies for support with some comms and creative functions.

The company kept its communications budget “steady” in recent years, focusing on being more effective and efficient within a volatile business environment, McCormack said.

He stressed that the company is taking a cautious approach to hiring.

Chevron has targeted $2-3 billion in structural cost reductions through 2027, said Ross Allen, a corporate affairs advisor. He described the company as “always looking for new ways to improve efficiency and performance. This necessarily causes us to be cautious hiring anywhere, across the Chevron platform.”

McCormack mentioned that the comms team has received recent investments in technology, including productivity tools like AI, and there’ve been efforts to streamline internal processes.

“I don’t want to predict growth or shrinkage at this point, but I would say that businesses have to live in and reflect a world that is incredibly volatile and ever changing,” he added.

What hiring managers want

Chevron’s recent comms hiring has been focused on addressing energy industry issues related to sustainability and climate change. McCormack noted that professionals with a background in both the corporate and public sectors are particularly valuable in today’s environment, allowing companies like Chevron to navigate complex regulatory landscapes.

The head of the media team held senior comms roles at the Department of Energy and Department of Defense and McCormack was assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.

“It’s a real advantage to have people with deep experience, not only in the corporate sector but also the public sector,” McCormack said. “Being able to connect that with a business’s objectives and strategy is very, very valuable.”

Korn Ferry has noticed a similar trend, McDermott said. The changing media landscape has led many of their clients to refine their communications functions. One area they’ve noticed increased interest is experts in roles like data analytics, measurement and executive/leadership communications.

Brands also face new potential challenges with navigating political and social issues, which McDermott believes will drive further demand for seasoned communications leaders.

“Reputation management and navigating political/social issues are key priorities, driving demand for seasoned communications leaders who can adapt messaging,” he added.

Overall, McDermott believes forward-looking CCOs are building roles that don’t necessarily exist at their peers and competitors, such as data analytics and measurement functions, or a staff to operate a digital content studio. Korn Ferry has also saw an uptick in need for financial communications expertise, as well as comms leaders who can stand in front of a board and explain how their work supports business objectives.

“Expectations of CEOs, boards and brands have evolved,” McDermott said. “This has prompted the need for many teams to uplevel their communications talent, and we will see that accelerate in 2025.”

What to expect for the rest of 2025

For job seekers and employers, 2025 is shaping up to look a lot like the second half of 2024: Neither too hot nor too cold but somewhere in a lukewarm middle,Shrivastava said. She believes that as employers have a larger pool of candidates to choose from now that there are fewer openings for these roles, they are likely able to be choosier about candidates.

McDermott advice? Start planning now, even if you’re not hiring for six months.

“Having a clear succession strategy and a proactive hiring process is key to building a strong, sustainable team,” he said.

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

COMMENT

PR Daily News Feed

Sign up to receive the latest articles from PR Daily directly in your inbox.