October 9, 2026

AI will eliminate traditional junior positions in marketing by 2030

Gartner: by 2030, AI will eliminate junior positions in marketing. 18% of leaders have already cut them, while 66.5% of teams face an AI skills shortage.

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AI could wipe out ‘traditional’ entry level marketing jobs by 2030AI-generated

By 2030, artificial intelligence will enable most high-performing marketing teams to "eliminate the traditional lower rungs of the corporate ladder" — that is the forecast from Gartner analysts. The focus is on classic entry-level positions, which today mark the beginning of a marketer's career.

It is precisely junior roles that are under threat. Automation is seizing first and foremost the tasks traditionally performed by juniors: routine operational work, execution of standard assignments, the honing of basic professional skills. The impact of AI is felt across every level of the career ladder, but for those just starting out in marketing and trying to build a career in a world where algorithms are doing an increasing share of the work, the consequences are the most painful.

What has already happened in the market?

The process is not on the horizon — it is happening right now. Gartner surveyed 1,300 marketing leaders, and the numbers capture changes that are a reality today:

18% of marketing leaders have already eliminated entry-level marketing positions due to automation;
16%, by contrast, have created new roles in response to the technological shift.

In other words, cuts are outpacing the creation of new vacancies — nearly one in five employers has already abandoned some of their junior positions.

What to look for in candidates instead of execution skills?

Gartner recommends that CMOs rethink their approach to hiring junior specialists. If automation is taking over execution tasks, the selection process should evaluate candidates' strategic and critical thinking rather than a set of applied skills.

"The key is to assess how they think, not what they know," write Gartner researchers Kristina LaRocca-Cerron and Lacretia Marsh.

The requirements for skill development are changing as well. Communication, empathy, conflict management, and relationship building used to be developed in marketers gradually — through daily interaction with managers and senior colleagues. Now, the researchers note, specialists "must develop these skills as early as possible" in order to remain competitive in the labor market.

How large is the AI competency gap?

A separate signal came from the Marketing Week — Career & Salary Survey 2026, which covered 2,350 respondents. The shortage of AI skills has become the top headache for marketing teams over the past 12 months:

66.5% of respondents identified a gap in AI competencies within their teams;
a lack of data and analytics skills was flagged as a problem by 44.2%;
insufficient understanding of martech tools — 31.1%.

Thus, the deficit of AI competencies troubles marketers noticeably more than any other technology gaps.

Who fears the AI skills shortage most?

Data from the Marketing Week survey reveal a clear pattern: anxiety grows along with the level of seniority. The higher the manager's position, the more acutely they feel the lack of AI competencies in their team:

73.5% of CMOs and marketing directors are concerned about the lack of AI capabilities among their subordinates;
68.5% — among senior managers;
58.8% — among junior managers.

The logic is straightforward: responsibility for AI integration and the results of automation rests with top executives, and it is they who must close the gap — by retraining existing staff or hiring specialists with a new profile.

What comes next?

The combined findings of the two studies paint a consistent picture. Entry-level tasks are already being automated today — nearly one in five employers has cut them. The classic model of entering the profession through routine execution work risks disappearing by 2030. At the same time, the value of what algorithms cannot yet replace is growing: strategic thinking, critical analysis, empathy, and the ability to build relationships.

For newcomers to marketing, the conclusion is stark: skills that used to come with experience must now be demonstrated at the very point of entering the profession. For CMOs, the task is to redesign hiring procedures and invest in training teams to work with AI, before the competency gap turns into a competitive disadvantage.

Source: Marketing Week

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Екатерина Ларина

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