After 25 years placing marketing and commercial talent across South Africa, I've learned to read the market the way a good marketer reads their audience. Here are some honest observations from my side of the table.
The talent pool looks bigger than it is. There's no shortage of applications, but volume isn't the same as quality. The candidates companies really want — those who sit at the intersection of brand and commercial, who understand data but can still tell a compelling story — are employed, busy and selective. They're not waiting for an opportunity to land in their inbox.
Certain roles are genuinely hard to fill. Product managers with real commercial accountability (not rebranded project managers). Digital marketers who can set a strategy on Monday and get into the platform data on Tuesday. Business development professionals who can open doors, not just walk through ones already open. These profiles exist in South Africa, but supply is limited and demand is growing.
What candidates are asking for has shifted. Flexibility is now a baseline, not a perk. Culture and leadership matter more than the brand on the door. And senior talent wants to know the role is real — a genuine mandate, a real budget, and marketing treated as a growth driver rather than a support function.
What companies are getting wrong. Briefs that are too broad. Interview processes that run too long. And compensation benchmarks that haven't kept up with where the market actually is.
The companies that will win are the ones that treat hiring as a strategic activity, not an administrative one. If you're navigating this market — on either side of the table — I'd love to have a conversation.
