AI Is Displacing Entry-Level Marketing Roles: Gartner Data

Gartner recommends that CMOs, when hiring, assess junior specialists for strategic and critical thinking rather than just execution skills. But entry into the profession is narrowing: the job market for beginners has remained difficult for several years in a row.

Layoffs Continue

Data from the quarterly IPA Bellwether report, shared with Marketing Week, shows that 25% of executives expect layoffs in the third quarter. The level of positions affected is not specified in the data.

For senior specialists, the news is better. According to Ingenuity+ and Pearlfinders, which track marketing appointments, at least 2,595 appointments to senior marketing positions were recorded in the 12 months to September 22, 2026. In September, 73% of such appointments went to external candidates, and 62% over the year as a whole.

Companies are buying talent rather than growing it. The question arises: has succession planning dropped off brands' agendas?

Marketing Without a Seat at the Table

Research by consulting firm The Marketing Directors showed that not a single traditional CMO sits on the boards of FTSE 100 companies. In 2007, marketing was represented at the top level in 14% of companies.

Expertise has survived in another form: 70% of companies have "significant" marketing, customer, and brand competence on their board of directors, and 10% of FTSE 100 CEOs have a background in marketing or customer leadership. However, at the senior leadership board level, only 30% of companies include a head of marketing or customer function.

New Titles Instead of Old Professions

Traditional job titles are giving way to new ones. According to Michael Page, the most in-demand role is growth marketing manager, followed by digital strategy and transformation leads, marketing analytics and insights managers, and e-commerce and marketplace managers. A year earlier, the top spot was held by marketing manager, followed by marketing executive and product manager.

The industry is losing both entry-level specialists, who need time to start from a broad base before specializing, and experienced marketers who know how to put fundamental principles first. If the bottom rung of the career ladder disappears by 2030, an open question remains: who will do the work in five, ten, or twenty years?