The market for entry-level creative hires is promising, new Robert Half research shows.

A survey by the talent solutions and business consulting firm reveals that 66% of marketing and creative hiring managers plan on hiring entry-level professionals – defined as those with two or less years of experience – in the first half of 2024.

That’s 2% higher than the industry average of 64%, with administrative and customer support leading the pack at 70%, and finance and accounting bringing up the rear at 56%.

The numbers also reveal that 65% of marketing and creative hiring managers say it now takes longer to hire for an open role than it did a year ago.

The online research was developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm from November 1 to 20, 2023, and from March 4 to 11, 2024. The data include responses from more than 1,094 managers with hiring responsibilities in marketing and creative, but also in finance and accounting, technology, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources at companies with 20 or more employees in Canada, as well as 609 professionals across Canada.

According to Robert Half figures, the average starting salary (25th to 50th percentile) for a marketing coordinator is $50,750 to $61,500. Also, the average starting salary of a production coordinator is between $50,750 and $57,500, while an entry-level web content coordinator can expect to pull in $48,000 to $56,000.

Not surprisingly, it’s mid- and larger-sized entities that are more likely to hire entry-level personnel. The survey shows 65% of large companies (defined as having more than 1,000 staffers), 65% of mid-sized firms (100 to 999 staffers), and 55% of small organizations (fewer than 100 staffers) plan on hiring entry-level personnel in 2024.

In a separate Robert Half survey about the specific challenges entry-level hires face, professionals reported not feeling well compensated (39%), not having an assigned mentor (34%), and a lack of training for key tasks (33%) as some of the main hurdles they faced.

February Robert Half research revealed that 67% of all marketing and creative employees are interested in pursuing a new role, primarily for a higher salary (53%).