Marketing/design talent salaries rose just 1.1% despite inflation: Aquent

January 18, 2023

Aquent, the largest marketing and creative staffing firm in the U.S., released its 2023 salary guide on Tuesday, showing that marketing, creative, and design talents will likely lose 2022 wages in 2022 despite inflation peaking at 9.1%. Talent salaries rose by just 1.1%. He also pointed out that gender and ethnic pay gaps are still pervasive.

Aquent said its data suggests companies are likely to tighten their belts in 2022 and prepare for an economic slowdown this year.

“Our data, based on actual salaries of over 19,000 people, highlights the challenges the industry faced over the past year, including slow wage growth and a lack of a female and ethnically diverse workforce. “As companies in our industry look to the future, economic uncertainty and gender and racial wage disparities still persist. There are still many things to do.”

Women still face a pay gap, but data shows the gender gap in marketing/creative is improving. A man in 2021 was paid 16% more than a woman for the same role overall, but in 2022 she has dropped to 2.7%.

• In 12 of the 15 jobs surveyed, men earned more than women, with female UI designers (-15.79%), female UX researchers (-14.63%) and female presentation designers (-14.63%). -8.33%).
• Men earned less than women as digital marketing managers (-19.38%) and SEO managers (-14.47%).

Aquent’s report also found that by 2022, ethnically diverse talent will earn 2.25% less than white employees.

• Ethnically diverse talent had the widest pay gaps for UX researchers (-12.17%), product designers (-7.4%) and digital marketing specialists (-6.02%).
• For many creative, design, and copy roles, such as art director, graphic designer, presentation designer, and copywriter, there was no difference in wages between ethnically diverse and white employees.

Catherine Tapia, Executive Sponsor of Aquent’s DEI Council, said: “Employees are demanding diversity and fairness in the workplace, and businesses must rise to meet that demand.”

Aquent’s report also looks at the role of the metaverse and finds that these can be advantageous positions. Concept he artist can make him $100,000 and community manager he can earn $120,000.