Recent data shows that marketing hiring at 12 major tech companies has dropped more than engineering hiring. Marketing roles have decreased by 36%, while engineering roles have only declined by 11% in the same timeframe.
The data is from SignalFire’s State of Talent Report. It compares big tech companies like Alphabet and Microsoft with a selection of early-stage startups. The figures are sourced from the firm’s Beacon AI hiring platform.
Where The Hiring Pulled Back #
Design experienced the largest decrease, with hiring at major tech companies dropping 48% and declining 22% at startups.
Product management hiring decreased by 39%, while marketing roles saw a 36% decrease at major companies and an 18% drop at startups.
Engineering held up better than any of them. At the majors, engineering hiring has decreased by 11%, while at startups, it has increased by 7%.
The report’s authors believe the increased share of engineering hiring results from larger cuts in other areas, not from a boom in engineering.
The gap is also evident in attrition rates. The attrition rate for marketing is 12.2% and for design 12.6%, compared to 9.2% for engineering. Support roles are experiencing higher departure rates despite a decrease in their hiring.
Why This Matters #
This serves as another reference point in a year already filled with many, albeit a narrow one. The data focuses on in-house roles at major tech companies and early-stage startups, excluding the broader marketing job market, agency work, or search and PPC roles.
We covered Challenger’s data, which identified AI as the primary reason cited for U.S. job cuts. SignalFire provides an additional perspective by breaking down hiring trends within tech companies, revealing that marketing experienced a sharper decline than engineering.
Looking Ahead #
Whether this applies outside big tech is uncertain. The thing to watch is whether the same disparity appears in broader marketing employment data or is limited to tech companies’ internal teams.
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