Credit: Joshua Hoehne via Unsplash
Entry-level opportunities in digital advertising and adtech are vanishing, raising concerns among recruiters about a looming shortage of skilled talent in the industry.
According to IAB Australia's 2026 Digital Advertising and Ad Tech Industry Talent Review, entry-level jobs now make up just 1% of the workforce.
AdNews spoke to recruiters about what this could mean for the market, and for juniors hoping to break into the industry.
Justin Randles, director at Mercury Talent, said the industry risked a talent crisis if it continued to shut out junior hires.
"There is a danger that as the challenges facing the media sector continue to mount, enough people will leave the industry, which will make it difficult to find people when the good times return – think of the trouble the airlines got themselves into after COVID when all the baggage handlers and flight attendants who had been laid off, found other careers," said Randles.
He said the conditions driving that risk were already visible in how entry-level roles had changed.
"Five years ago, graduates could enter the industry with a sales coordinator or editorial assistant position," said Randles.
"Fast forward to 2026, and these entry-level roles are increasingly being held by 26-27-year-olds with 3-4 years of experience.
"Overall, in the media industry, there are more candidates than jobs, and that is the same for roles that require more than six years of experience, even accounting for the experienced people who have left the media industry."
Randles said juniors looking to break into these coveted entry-level positions would need a personal recommendation from a respected employee to get on the shortlist.
"They need to impress the hiring team with their ATAR and university results and persuade the interviewers that while they do not have the most experience, they have a track record of working hard, learning quickly, and achieving results," said Randles.
Steph Graham, co-founder at No Sunday Blues, said juniors who added creativity to their outreach could do well in the current market.
"In the creative ad industry, you will get noticed by being creative and this includes the job hunting process," said Graham.
"In our digital world, standing out can be as simple as dropping off your physical CV to an office, or creating a catchy email subject line. We don't see this often anymore, but when something a bit creative lands in my inbox, I always open it straight away."
Marie Galinsky, founder at Tribe Talent, said many hiring managers were cautious about taking on less experienced talent, not because they undervalued juniors, but because leaner teams and heavier workloads had reduced the capacity to train and mentor them.
"It is not necessarily because businesses do not value junior people. Most good leaders absolutely understand the importance of bringing new talent into the industry. But there are a few pressures at play," she said.
"AI has also changed the equation. Some of the more process-driven work that used to give junior talent their first experience is now being automated or streamlined.
"The challenge is that strategic thinking, commercial acumen, and client confidence are not usually skills people develop in isolation. They come from exposure, coaching, observation, feedback, and being given the opportunity to sit close to the work.
"This is where the industry needs to be careful. We cannot expect mid-level talent to arrive fully formed if we have not invested in them when they were junior. And we cannot expect junior talent to become commercially strong if they are only given task-based work without context."
Galinsky said organisations needed to be more deliberate and strategic in how they designed new talent pathways.
"The industry needs fresh thinkers. It needs people who understand new technology, new behaviours and new ways of working. Junior talent brings energy, perspective and adaptability that the industry cannot afford to lose," said Galinsky.
"Organisations will need to meet them halfway by creating meaningful entry pathways.
"The best organisations are the ones that involve junior and mid-level people in the bigger picture early. They bring them into client conversations, explain why decisions are being made, expose them to commercial conversations, and help them understand not just what they are doing, but why it matters."
Jimmy Sutton-Hill, senior marketing and analytics talent agent at Aquent Australia, said the scarcity of junior roles was made worse by an oversaturated talent pool.
"Employers remain willing to invest in talent, but the current market is highly competitive, with a large pool of experienced candidates available," he said.
"When employers can hire someone with proven experience for a similar salary, they often view that person as a lower-risk option.
"As a result, organisations have less incentive to hire and train inexperienced candidates when experienced professionals are readily available."
On what employers look for when differentiating between juniors, Sutton-Hill said AI literacy and adaptability had become the baseline.
"In practice, employers are looking for candidates who understand how AI is impacting their industry, demonstrate curiosity about emerging technologies, and show an aptitude for learning new tools," said Sutton-Hill.
"At this stage, AI literacy and a willingness to adapt are more important than technical mastery of any particular platform.
"Commercial experience is often more valuable than additional academic qualifications. Candidates who have completed internships, freelance projects, part-time industry work, or practical placements tend to stand out.
"Employers are also attracted to graduates who demonstrate initiative through self-directed learning, industry certifications, extra courses, and a genuine interest in the sector. Strong communication skills and the ability to build relationships are increasingly important differentiators."
Charlotte Flood, co-founder at No Sunday Blues, said there were still pockets of the market actively hiring juniors.
"From what I'm seeing, the agencies consistently hiring juniors are the mid-size independents, they tend to have the growth trajectory and the client variety that means they actually need to build out their teams," said Flood.
"Consumer PR is busy, lifestyle, tourism and FMCG are always moving, and tech PR (both consumer and B2B) has been picking up too."
Galinsky said that while junior pipelines were thinning, competition for senior talent was taking off.
"There is experienced talent in the market, but the competition for the really strong people is significant," she said.
"The candidates employers want most are those who can sit across several things at once: digital fluency, client leadership, commercial judgement, team leadership, strategic thinking, AI awareness and the ability to operate in leaner, faster-moving environments. That is a lot to ask of one person.
"The other challenge is that many strong mid-to-senior candidates are not actively looking. They are open to the right conversation, but they are not necessarily applying to job ads.
"That means organisations need to think differently about how they engage talent. The best people often need to be approached thoughtfully and given a clear reason to consider a move.
"It also means companies cannot rely only on hiring fully developed senior people from the market. That approach becomes expensive, competitive, and unsustainable."
Flood said the pressure wasn't only on candidates, employers needed to stay competitive too.
"What this means in practice is that employers seeking experienced hires need to be competitive not just on salary, but on culture, flexibility, and career development," said Flood.
"The agencies successfully attracting senior talent are those that can articulate a compelling value proposition beyond the job description itself."
Galinsky said organisations should act before vacancies arose rather than waiting until the pressure was already felt.
"Recruiters see this very clearly because we are often working across multiple businesses at once. We can see where demand is building, where candidate supply is thinning, and where salary pressure is starting to emerge," said Galinsky.
"The warning to organisations is this: talent pipelines need to be built before you need them. If you wait until you have a vacancy, especially at mid-level, you are already behind.
"The smarter long-term play is to build internal capability at junior and mid-level, while also engaging external talent pipelines before roles become urgent.
"This is where organisations need to think more strategically about workforce planning. Who are the juniors you are bringing in now? Who are the future managers in your business? Who needs leadership development? Who needs broader client exposure? And where do you need to be engaging external talent in market, even before there is a live role?
"The organisations that do this well will have a real advantage."
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