Credit: Amy Hirschi via Unsplash
Australia’s advertising and marketing industry is undergoing a structural reset, with the workforce skewing increasingly junior amid cost pressures, talent shortages and evolving client expectations.
As a result, longevity in the industry has become increasingly important.
According to the 2024 IAB Industry Talent Report, more than 75% of open roles in digital advertising and ad tech now target candidates with between one and five years’ experience, with the three-to-five-year range in highest demand.
And professionals aged over 50 make up just 5% of the sector, highlighting a thinning layer of senior expertise.
Media Federation of Australia data paints a similar picture, showing only 18% of media professionals are aged over 40, falling to just 10% above 45.
The trend, often referred to as juniorisation, has implications for the industry’s ability to retain institutional knowledge and strategic leadership.
The concern about lost institutional knowledge is echoed by Pauly Grant, chief talent officer at Publicis Groupe APAC & ANZ.
“Senior talent continues to play a vital role in client retention, innovation, strategic oversight and leadership. However, the traditional premium placed on tenure alone is evolving,” she said.
Grant pointed to a growing demand for agility, digital fluency, and cross-functional leadership, reflecting broader global trends highlighted in McKinsey and Gartner analyses.
“Organisations are adapting future-facing talent strategies around capabilities, not just years of experience,” she said.
“The value of senior talent can be unlocked if they are equipped to drive tech-enabled growth and transformation.”
At the same time, this shift opens opportunities for mid-level talent to rise more quickly.
“As hierarchies flatten under financial pressures and shifting client needs, there’s a chance to accelerate mid-level talent into higher value roles by equipping them with the right tools and responsibility,” Grant said.
“Our AI-powered platform, Marcel, delivers curated learning and AI upskilling, enabling employees to build capabilities critical to future value.”
Yet, this focus on capabilities rather than tenure doesn’t entirely address the risks of a junior-skewed workforce.
The loss of senior personnel impacts client relationships and strategic continuity.
Jacquie Alley, COO of The Media Store and a 28-year industry veteran, noted the practical difficulties faced by senior professionals.
“We’re seeing older professionals struggle to even get interviews. They’re often told to cut a decade off their CVs,” she said.
Alley pointed to procurement teams pushing back on senior talent due to cost considerations, despite her agency maintaining an intentionally inter-generational structure.
“The current time-based remuneration model is outdated. We need to move to value- or project-based models that allow the right resource mix to deliver outcomes,” she said.
The consequences of juniorisation extend beyond skill gaps.
Gavin Chew, general manager of operations at Orange Line, described the challenge through the lens of diversity, not just age or experience, but mindset.
“Agencies favouring younger talent risk missing out on seasoned professionals who know how to juggle multiple projects and stakeholders, and who can hit the ground running,” he said.
“But younger talent brings energy, openness to change, and a strong grasp of the tech landscape.”
Chew said Orange Line cultivates a team that thrives on diversity of thought and experience, which allows them to approach challenges from multiple perspectives and make better decisions.
The pandemic compounded early-career challenges, with Alley noting that many juniors entered the workforce during COVID and missed critical on-the-job training.
“We’re still upskilling those gaps while managing expectations around flexibility and progression,” she said.
This dynamic is reflected in workforce data showing a slight uptick in vacancy rates, stable at 4.6% compared to 4.5% the previous year, and an increasing adoption of hybrid work models.
Nearly half of agencies have moved to three-day in-office setups, and part-time hiring has grown, with 22% of organisations reporting increases in non-full-time roles over the past two years.
The decline in senior talent also intersects with gender disparities.
While women now comprise 53% of commercial roles and 48% in product, female representation in senior management has dropped from 38% to 34%.
Retention and sustainability of mid- and senior-level professionals are critical issues for the sector’s long-term health.
Grant acknowledged industry progress in addressing mental health and wellbeing.
“We’ve moved from focusing solely on employee experience to life experience, how work fits into people’s lives,” she said.
Resilience is also frequently cited as essential for career longevity in the industry.
Sue-Ellen Osborn, national head of investment at Spark Foundry Australia, said no one stays in this industry without resilience.
“We have to be creative, innovative and analytical all at once, manage complex briefs and tight deadlines, and maintain positive working relationships,” she said.
Osborn credits flexibility and a supportive workplace culture with keeping her engaged.
“I briefly considered leaving the industry in my late 20s due to a lack of support for working mothers, but my then employer, Zenith Australia, was at the forefront of paid maternity leave and flexible work,” she said.
“Today, Spark Foundry continues to support parents with initiatives like ‘cub care leave’ for unwell babies and flexible working arrangements.”
Osborn also emphasised the importance of continuous learning and adaptability.
“I’ve learnt to be flexible, understand my strengths and surround myself with people who balance creative and analytical thinking,” she said.
“The pace of change means a mindset of lifelong learning is vital.”
She advises younger professionals to build positive, long-term working relationships.
“You never know who will be your client, boss or collaborator down the track,” she said.
“And choose to work somewhere that supports you both professionally and personally.”
Mentorship remains critical amid high turnover and increasingly fluid roles.
Grant explained that Gen Z now accounts for 35% of Publicis’ workforce, a cohort that values personalised career paths, flexible work design and lifelong learning.
“To support this, we run Café Marcel, facilitating short, global mentor catch-ups, along with deeper mentorship programs, video learning, and live workshops,” she said.
Grant advocates embedding mentorship into daily work through micro-mentoring moments, project-based learning and reverse mentoring between senior and junior team members.
“This generation wants real responsibility early, supported by clear guardrails. Give them the space to lean in and lead,” she said.
Building careers, not just providing jobs, is increasingly seen as the industry’s way forward.
“We need to recognise that a person’s working life is a journey, not a destination,” Grant said.
Despite the pressures, some industry veterans find motivation in the sector’s dynamism.
“There’s always room to grow if you look for it. The industry has become part of the cultural zeitgeist with data and privacy, which keeps it exciting,” Chew said.
While some have shifted to freelancing or left the industry, Chew has stayed agency-side.
“Working across a wide range of clients and verticals keeps things fresh and lets me push creative boundaries,” he said.
Managing partner at TRA Melbourne, Mark Hobart, said the work and the clients remains a drawcard for senior talent.
“Clients come to us with juicy problems to solve, and the work we do is meaningful and useful, often informing marketing plans,” he said.
“This industry never stands still and that helps keep me stay motivated.
“There’s always something new to learn, whether it’s emerging tools, evolving consumer behaviours, or fresh ways to uncover insight and tell stories.”
Jackie Beck, managing director AUNZ at Orion, said the shift to valuing experience over novelty is gaining ground.
“Clients are now placing real value on experience and strategic thinking. We’ve moved from just media buying to helping drive real business outcomes," she said.
"The only constant is change. Consumers’ media habits change daily, and we adapt."
Looking ahead, the consensus is clear that the industry must balance its reliance on emerging talent with preserving mid- and senior-level expertise.
“There’s growing demand for emerging talent, but we must avoid hollowing out the experienced layers that provide strategic depth,” said Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia.
Alley summed up the challenge.
“Everyone’s job has 20% mundane and 80% fulfilling. It becomes a problem when that flips. We need to teach juniors that careers are built over time, not overnight,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chew emphasised resilience and the human qualities vital to long-term success.
“It’s about learning from experience and evolving, but just as important is having people around you who are honest, accountable and have strong values,” he said,
“The qualities that make a good teammate are the same as those that make a good human.”
As the sector continues its generational shift, those who’ve weathered previous upheavals, from the global financial crisis to the digital revolution, say adaptability remains the key to longevity.
“Change is constant. Stay curious, stay client-focused and keep testing and learning,” Alley said.
“That’s how you stay relevant.”
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