A new study in to the state of marketeers in Australia has found those with a strong digital and multi-disciplinary background will continue to be in high demand.

The study by RMIT University and Deloitte Access Economics has found that by 2021-2022 there’ll be a demand for a whopping 300,000 marketeers in Australia.

You can download a copy of the study here.

Key findings of the study revealed:

• Increased integration of marketing with other business functions and growth of digital marketing is contributing to an increase in demand for marketing skills.

• Australian marketing workforce forecast to grow from 269,000 people in 2016-17 to 299,000 in 2021-22.

• Growth of 2.2 per cent a year over the coming five years, nearly twice as fast as the 1.5 per cent expected in the overall Australian labour force.

• By 2021-22, post-graduate qualified professionals in marketing are expected to be earning an average of $150,000, an impressive rise of 14 per cent compared to 2016-17 averages.

Commenting on the study, Dr Foula Kopanidis, program director of postgraduate marketing programs at RMIT University, said: “While marketing occupations are experiencing change due to the rise of digital marketing and data analytics, I see these technological developments as providing new options and outlets for companies to perform the tasks that have underpinned the role of the marketer, such as connecting with customers and targeting products to relevant markets.

“Although technical digital skills are becoming increasingly important, the core mix of technical and creative skills underpinning marketing roles are still critical for success in the job market,” she said.

David Rumbens, partner, Deloitte Access Economics, added: “Businesses expect workers to bring multi-dimensional skills to a marketing-related role, such as in relation to communication, critical thinking and teamwork, as well as in analytics, automation and integrating marketing and technology platforms.

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also made large strides in this respect, such as by improving product recommendations to customers, for example suggested content on streaming services or related properties on real estate websites.

“Data analytics is also important in monitoring the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns. The ability to work with data can therefore be expected to be an increasingly important aspect of the marketing task,” Rumbens said.