Hiring in A&M industry rises 8-15% amid festive demand

Hiring activity in India’s Advertising & Marketing (A&M) industry picked up noticeably in September 2025 as brands geared up for the festive season. Industry experts reported that A&M job postings grew 8-15% month-on-month, driven mainly by demand for digital, content, and campaign management roles, while leadership and long-term hires remained selective.

BrandPipal saw postings rise 8-12% compared to August.

“We saw a clear pick-up of 8-12% in September compared to August, as brands began stepping up their festive campaigns,” saidAshima Kakar, Co-founder, BrandPipal (NLB Services company), an employer branding enterprise. “Most of the demand was for junior and mid-level talent, similar to last year’s festive hiring trend.”

Meanwhile, GetWork noticed a 15% increase over August, noting stronger momentum than the same period last year.

“A&M job postings in September 2025 increased by 15% compared to August 2025,” said Rahul Veerwal, Founder & CEO, GetWork. “This was 12% higher than the increase observed during the same period last year, reflecting a stronger focus on talent acquisition this season.”

Execution-led demand, cautious leadership hiring

Both companies reported that execution-focused roles led festive hiring, while demand for leadership and strategic positions remained subdued.

“Even in the festive season, companies remained cautious when it came to senior leadership roles,” said Kakar. “The focus was on short-term campaign execution, so hiring was concentrated at the junior and mid-levels.”

The most in-demand roles were in digital marketing, content creation, campaign management, and performance analytics. Temporary and seasonal hires also received more competitive pay and incentives compared to previous years.

Veerwal noted that sales, operations, and customer support roles saw a surge to meet festive demand, while technology roles remained stable. In the A&M sector, performance-based incentives ranged from 5-15% of annual salaries, alongside general salary hikes of 5-10% during the festive period.

“General salary hikes for A&M roles ranged from 5-10%, while incentives for festive-related positions were around 5-15% of the annual salary,” said Veerwal.

The September surge reflected short-term optimism driven by festive demand. However, companies continued to be selective when hiring for long-term or high-cost positions. Analysts expect the October-November data to indicate whether this momentum extends beyond seasonal campaigns.