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What is the outlook (and current reality) for content-related marketing jobs today?
Our study “Career Outlook for Content and Marketing 2025” revealed a mix of good and not so good signals. On the one hand, most marketing professionals are more or less satisfied with their work. And the generative AI bogeyman? It is not stealing jobs yet.
On the other hand, marketing professionals report feeling somewhat depressed about their job prospects and the difficulties of finding a job. And the obligation to return to the office? That's a no-go for most.
The 700 marketing professionals who participated in the study shared all sorts of interesting information about career goals, hiring trends and retraining plans. (Did you know that 22% of full-time marketing professionals freelance on the side?)
They also shared details about their salaries and indicated what factors can affect compensation.
Here, I share six key insights to help you advance your career (and keep you from getting too caught up in AI fear).
Download the 2025 report (registration required) to check out the numbers, granular salary details (years of experience, position, gender, location, etc.) and other insights.
1. Marketing job prospects
One in three marketers tell us that their company has laid off marketing staff in the last 12 months – a higher number than we expected.
And many are rather pessimistic about the job market: 68 percent believe it is more difficult to find a job in marketing today than it was five years ago. A quarter say it is about the same, and only 7 percent say the job search is easier.
Most (75%) believe the challenges are related to macroeconomic factors such as financial pressures. And 69% cite increased competition for marketing jobs as a challenge. Far fewer (33%) believe AI is a factor.
Meanwhile, there is an underlying frustration among marketing professionals about the “phantom job postings.” Several have shared their guesses and anecdotes:
- “Many job postings are not real or public. Many that I see are scams.”
- “Some companies don't hire at all. They advertise positions to see what's out there and then ignore people.”
- “I wonder if some of the job ads I see are just a way to gain followers on social media or, worse, to collect data about job seekers.”
On the positive side, marketing professionals laid off in the past two years took an average of just three months to find a new job. That's undoubtedly slower than during the hot talent market a few years ago, but not as daunting as informal conversations suggest.
2. AI is not yet taking over marketing jobs…
Here's more good news. The claim that AI can replace marketing departments? Yes, that's not happening yet. Only 3% of marketers say their teams have replaced employees with AI tools.
But that is only part of the story.
In candid responses to the question of how AI is impacting marketing careers, many tell us that their employers aren't hiring any new positions any time soon. This could mean that the promise of AI-powered efficiency is quietly shrinking teams after all.
Yet many marketers (51%) view generative AI tools as a net gain for their marketing careers—four times more than those who say they are a net loss. This bodes well for the innovative AI-based marketing tools coming to market.
3. Most marketers are using generative AI (albeit somewhat listlessly)
Don't let that “net-plus” number fool you. Many respondents seem to be ambivalent about the capabilities of generative AI.
The study shows that marketers primarily use generative AI as a “co-pilot” – a tool that makes them more efficient and creative. And 68% say these tools save them time.
The majority say they use generative AI to brainstorm topics (62%) and summarize content (53%). Fewer use generative AI to create content: Less than half (44%) say they use AI to “write drafts.”
That's probably because most (69%) think the text results from AI tools are mediocre – “soulless,” as one marketing expert tells us. Another says, “My direct report sometimes uses AI for creating outlines and brainstorming, but I don't usually find AI-generated content very sophisticated.”
However, when we looked at which AI applications marketers consider to be “high-value,” the list was a little different. The top 10 applications marketers consider to be “high-value” are:
- Proofreading (50%)
- Summarize content (48%)
- Structural tasks (42%)
- Brainstorming on new topics (40%)
- Writing article drafts (38%)
- Analyze data performance (38%)
- Writing email text (34%)
- Reuse content (32%)
- Create buyer personas (31%)
- Optimize content (31%)
4. Most marketing professionals report satisfaction with their jobs – but could still move on
Satisfaction among marketing professionals is remarkably high, with most marketing professionals (76%) reporting that they are somewhat or very satisfied with their role.
This percentage varies slightly by position (due to rounding, percentages do not total 100):
- At the director level and above, 79% say they are fairly or very satisfied, 10% are neutral and 12% are fairly or very dissatisfied.
- Among managers, 79 percent are rather or very satisfied, only 7 percent are neutral and 15 percent are rather or very dissatisfied.
- Of the individual contributors, 73% are rather or very satisfied, 11% are neutral and 16% are rather or very dissatisfied.
But don't confuse satisfaction with complacency. Even satisfied marketers are looking for opportunities to grow and advance in their careers. More than a third of marketers (35%) tell us they are looking for another job or are very interested in finding another job. That's up 4 points from last year and 7 points from two years ago.
5. Remote work is non-negotiable
Marketing professionals value working remotely, and most tell us they don't want to return to the office full-time.
A significant portion (84%) of marketing professionals say they work remotely or in a hybrid setup (a mix of remote and office work). Of that group, 68% say they would quit their job if their employer required them to work in the office full-time.
The message may have gotten through to employers. Less than a quarter (24%) of marketing professionals say their employers are less willing to allow telecommuting than they were a year ago. More than half (58%) say their willingness has remained the same, and 18% say their employers are more willing to allow telecommuting.
6. When it comes to salary, location is crucial
The amount of income marketers earn depends on so many factors that a single average amount obscures more than it reveals.
For example, marketers who work in large urban centers (e.g. New York City, Boston, and San Francisco) earn significantly more money than their counterparts in smaller markets.
Those who work in large metropolitan areas earn about 30 percent more than those who do not. And for employees at managerial level or above in large markets, the increase is even higher: They earn 43 percent more than their colleagues in smaller areas.
The report contains a lot of additional information on:
- Salaries (by seniority, gender and generation)
- Advance your career
- Further education and training (desired and offered)
- Retaining top talent
I hope you'll download the study and then join the LinkedIn conversation. Look for my post or watch the Live With CMI episode about the results and comment there.
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Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
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