As we approach the end of the decade, Become Recruitment look back at the creative, digital and media industry in 2019 and share our insights for 2020.
Freelancing and Flexible Working
Flexible working has witnessed an enormous boom in 2019, with more people opting to pursue careers in the industry through freelancing. The freelancing increase has coincided with companies shifting their preference to utilising temporary workers, as opposed to full-time personnel that often cost much more in benefits and salary in the long-term.
Freelancing offer’s many benefits not available to those working in a 9-5 job. The ability to choose what projects to work on, what hours to work and where to work from has gifted those in the freelance world an incredible amount of freedom.
2020 will see even more freelance growth as recruitment agencies, like Become, continue to drive the freelance market and encourage further growth.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Discussions around AI have invaded almost every industry over the past few years, so it’s no surprise that AI has made more strides in 2019. In previous years there was a stigma around whether AI’s implementation would prove to be positive or a negative addition to the creative industry, however, this year AI has emerged as a significant advantage to those creatives willing to accept it.
Marketers have been able to use AI for analysing datasets, designers have utilised it for image recognition, and some machine learning software has been used for recognising a company’s brand or style, providing future suggestions when working with stock images or colours.
With creatives using AI as a companion, the results have been more than successful, with a recent survey from Business Wire showing 85% of creatives believe AI will have the most significant impact of any emerging technology in the future. The creative industry will always depend upon the creativity of the human mind but allowing AI to aid in the more time-consuming or analytical tasks can free up an enormous amount of time for the creator, to create.
Personalisation
Businesses have recognised over the past few years that their brand is integral to success. In turn, more firms are looking to creatives to help build their brand and to create brand-conscious marketing strategies. However, for a business’s brand to stand out from the crowd, it must be unique. So, firms have allowed their freelancers and employees to let their creative flair shine and add some personality into their work. Interesting new concepts and unique ideas have resulted in many success stories throughout 2019 and this may be the key to brand success in the coming years.
2020 Insights
2020 will bring a new set of challenges and trends for the creative and digital market to adapt to. A report from DMA has currently forecast that in 2020, mobile advertising will account for 50.6% of the market.
Skills shortages are currently predicted to cause the biggest challenge to the creative industry in 2020, with employers already struggling to fill roles for highly technical positions such as web developers and programmers. While significant efforts are being made from the government for the development of young people with an aptitude for these roles through apprenticeships and specific courses, next year will not see much improvement in the issue. Businesses would benefit from utilising a specialist agency, such as Become, to aid them in the hunt for top talent in the industry.
In 2020, the freelancing and flexible working aspect of the industry will continue to enjoy great popularity with more people seeking a flexible work-life balance for their wellbeing and family commitments. Remote working will also become increasingly attractive to those companies looking to solve their skill shortage woes. With developments in VR and AI, remote working is becoming increasingly more accessible than it has been in past years.
Become Recruitment are industry-leading experts in the creative, digital and media industries. Looking for a new job for 2020? Speak to one of our consultants about the freelance and permanent opportunities we have available.