AD AGENCIES RESTRUCTURE—BEHIND THE EMPLOYEE SHAKEUPS AND HOW TO PREPARE

Shops reassert their power and reshape staffing as 2024 becomes turning point for ‘tech-driven transformation’

By Judann Pollack and Lindsay Rittenhouse.

Ad agencies this summer have been laying the groundwork for a big shift that’s on the horizon this fall.

They’ve been rearranging their ranks with quiet layoffs among mid-level staffers, and in some cases, high-level creatives. They are moving toward strategic hires in select areas such as data and performance marketing, tightening the job market. They are reasserting their power by enforcing back-to-office mandates and abandoning remote hires. And they are embracing labor-saving strategies such as offshoring and AI—the latter of which could result in more automated work and fewer jobs down the line.
In short, the Great Resignation is giving way to the Great Reset.

“The pendulum really swung to the employee a year ago,” said Marla Kaplowitz, president-CEO of the 4A’s. But now “there is a shifting of the dynamic. Earlier this year, we saw the pendulum swing back to the employer.”

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