Having surveyed over 500 business leaders, HR professionals and hiring managers in our 2026 Annual Pay & Hiring Survey, our data reveals that 28% intend to hire marketing talent. Using this data, we break down the most in-demand marketing job titles and skills to help you plan your own teams this year.
Key takeaways
- CRM & Loyalty is the most in-demand digital marketing skill set (26%), with a continued focus on building strong customer relationships enabled by automation and personalisation.
- Problem-solving and critical thinking is the top priority for hiring marketers (66%), highlighting a shift towards judgement-led roles in an AI-enabled environment.
- Communication and stakeholder management (63%) sits alongside technical expertise (61%), as marketers are increasingly required to translate data-heavy insights into business decisions.
- Curiosity and willingness to learn (51%) outranks commercial awareness (33%) and adaptability (29%), reflecting the pace at which tools (particularly AI) are evolving.
- Flexible resourcing is rising alongside skills demand, with 45% hiring contractors to support project-based work and 35% to access specialist skillsets.
Marketing recruitment in 2026
Hiring plans for 2026 point to a clear shift in how marketing leaders are defining talent.
Rather than hiring purely for channel expertise or job titles, leaders are prioritising a broader combination of soft skills, including critical thinking, influence, and execution. This is partly thanks to rise of artificial intelligence and growth in data-led marketing efforts.
At the same time, hiring models themselves are becoming more flexible. As businesses contend with a fast-evolving global economy, talent strategies are expected to shift quarterly.
A total of 52% of employers told us they intended to hire in 2026, 54% of which intend to hire marketers. Two-thirds intend to hire marketers on a permanent basis, while a significant portion are also turning to contractors or a blend of both.
Marketers' soft skills are a hiring priority in 2026
We asked hiring managers what they look for when hiring marketing professionals. The results show a clear focus on soft skills, with technical skills sitting third on the list at 61%.
What soft skills do high-performing marketers need?
Three capabilities stand out as priorities for 2026 marketing skills.
1. Problem-solving and critical thinking (66%)
As AI accelerates execution, decision-making becomes a differentiator.
Marketers now operate in environments with more tools, more data, and more complexity. They're also expected to move quickly to deliver. The ability to interpret outputs, prioritise effectively, and make decisions under uncertainty is increasingly what defines impact.
2. Communication and stakeholder management (63%)
Modern marketing is inherently cross-functional. Whether working with sales, product, finance, or leadership, marketers must have strong communication skills to:
- Align multiple stakeholders
- Influence decision-making
- Translate activity into commercial outcomes
The near-equal weighting of communication and technical skills suggests that “doing the work” is only half the role. Securing the buy-in is just as important as execution.
3. Curiosity and willingness to learn (51%)
‘Curiosity and willingness to learn’ sitting third on our list also reflects how AI is changing marketing jobs in 2026.
We have seen several roles being created and adapted to meet the changing nature of the working world. The best marketers should possess a natural curiosity and always look to upskill in tools, such as AI.
Which marketing jobs are in-demand?
The most in-demand area is CRM & Loyalty (26%), signalling a continued focus on retention, lifecycle marketing, and customer value. Other key areas include:
- Digital Marketing (16%) and Generalist Marketing (16%)
- Brand (14%) and Content (14%)
- Social Media & Influencer (10%) and Creative (10%)
The rise of the “AI-enabled T-shaped marketer”
Altogether, the data points towards a clear profile of the modern marketing hire: the AI-enabled T-shaped marketer.
These individuals combine:
- Depth in a core discipline (e.g. CRM, content, performance)
- Breadth across adjacent areas (data, strategy, commercial awareness)
- Strong core behaviours (problem-solving, communication, curiosity)
- The ability to implement AI to improve output and efficiency across multiple platforms
As execution becomes more automated, value shifts towards:
- Decision-making
- Integration
- Strategic oversight
This is why we’re seeing increased demand for generalist marketers over specialist talent.
Expert brand management and content creation becomes crucial
It’s no surprise to see so many marketers investing more heavily in their brand marketing. Brand will be crucial for long term differentiation.
We're already seeing companies becoming more homogenised thanks to the influx of AI content. With AI infrastructure becoming more uniform and widely accessible, competitive advantage is shifting away from the technology itself and towards how organisations use it.
Building a recognisable brand and credible content strategy is key for growth.
Creation of social media marketing and influencer roles
We have the creation of a variety of new roles in the social media skill set, including:
Each is growing in importance this year, as companies – particularly direct-to-consumer brands – look to extract more value from their social media presence.
How should businesses react?
The marketing sector is evolving once again. AI is not replacing marketers, but it is redefining what makes them effective. Here's what businesses should do when hiring in 2026:
1. Hire for judgement in an AI-enabled world
AI can generate outputs, but not decisions. Focus on candidates who can interpret, prioritise, and act.
2. Build a blended team model
Your highest-performing teams will likely combine:
- Core permanent talent (strategy, ownership, alignment)
- Flexible specialists (execution, niche skills, project-based)
3. Prioritise learning over static expertise
The best marketers will be those who evolve with the market, particularly as AI capabilities continue to change.
Growing your business in 2026?
If you’re entering a new phase of growth this year, explore the full hiring trends shaping the go-to-market sector by downloading our full Annual Pay & Hiring Report.
At 3Search, our team of specialist marketing recruiters are at the forefront of change in the industry. Working with hundreds of marketers and high-growth businesses, we know what works and what doesn’t.
If you need support in building your marketing team, do not hesitate to get in touch. Through our unique Advise, Attract, Develop methodology, we’ll help you identify top marketing talent and support their upskilling.
