One of the reasons that there are so many more incredible Fractional CMO’s available right now is because there’s not as many full-time jobs at senior levels.

In today's job market, an intriguing paradox emerges. Despite increasing employment rates, many senior marketers remain out of work, or at least full-time positions.

It’s a topic that comes up in conversation often so we thought we’d dig into the reasons why this is happening.

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Industry trends effecting senior marketing roles‍

1. Fractional work dynamics

Senior marketers are increasingly moving into the fractional work market by choice due to lifestyle and stage, allowing businesses to access high-level expertise without long-term commitments. It’s a huge opportunity for startups to be able to bring experience and skills into their businesses earlier than they could have afforded to but it’s not all positive for the CMOs as gives them less stability

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2. Cost-cutting measures

Companies are favouring "player-coach" hires who can perform both strategic and operational tasks, reducing the need for dedicated senior roles and favoring combined responsibilities at lower costs.

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3. The emergence of Revenue teams

The merging of marketing and sales into unified teams reduces the requirement for separate senior leadership roles in each function, leading to fewer specialised senior positions. This is good on the one hand as sales and marketing become more aligned and work more closely together but due to the newness of this role, the leader tends to have more experience on one side which can have a negative impact.

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Skills demand and economic influences‍

1.  Digital experience gap‍

While digital skills are essential, there's a perception that senior marketers may lack cutting-edge digital expertise (this ISN’T true by the way - they just more layered skills). Budget limitations often dictate hiring choices over skill gaps.‍

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2. Market confidence and funding

Economic factors, such as reduced market confidence and funding, especially for early-stage businesses, delay hiring decisions. Companies prioritise immediate survival, impacting the availability of senior roles but opening the door for Fractional CMOs.‍

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3. Rising costs across the board

With increasing costs of paid media and marketing expenses, as well as costs outside of marketing, means budgets are stretched. This limits opportunities to hire senior marketers who typically require higher salaries.

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Adapting to market conditions

Senior marketers are adapting by exploring fractional roles, consulting, and enhancing digital marketing skills.

However, the market remains demanding.

Insights from Marketing Week indicate that recruiters and jobseekers describe the marketing recruitment landscape as challenging, with complex hiring processes and reduced salary offers becoming common.

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We have seen the same thing

• For CMO’s in jobs are more likely to stay and candidates being attracted to ‘safer options’ of more established businesses.
• For businesses that need to keep costs low, fractional’s can be a brilliant opportunity
• For businesses that are hiring CMO’s, they’re often offering salaries back to pre-Covid levels (or lower) or hoping to find a player-coach (think of this as a 2for1 hire)

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Our take on this

The current market necessitates flexibility and adaptability by senior marketers.

While traditional full-time roles are limited, the shift towards fractional and blended roles presents new opportunities for those ready to adapt.

In this evolving environment, senior marketers must make the most of their experience to deliver measurable outcomes, positioning themselves as growth catalysts and leaders in an ever-changing market.

Focusing on collaboration and continuously learnings allows us all to remain competitive and valuable.

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See more on our fractional CMO page here or let’s have chat to work out what’s best for you business right now.

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