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Mercury Talent in the News
Media & Events Job Market: Marketing Roles Ramp Up, Media Sales Slide Continues
Australia's media and events job market recorded its strongest quarter in three years in Q3 2026, with overall hiring up 11% year-on-year, driven by a surge in marketing, events and out-of-home roles — even as media sales hiring continued its prolonged decline.
Media hiring rebounds as OOH and events drive recovery
Australia's media and events jobs market has recorded its strongest quarter in three years, but the recovery is being driven by sharp growth in events, outdoor and retail media while hiring continues to fall across programmatic, television and streaming.
A recovery? Australian media and events hiring hits three-year high as AI, marketing and major events drive Q3 surge
The Australian media and events sector saw an 11% year-on-year increase in hiring activity in the third quarter of 2026 — the strongest result in three years — following a robust second quarter, where hiring activity rose by 15% from the previous quarter.
Events, OOH and retail media lead Australia's media hiring rebound
Justin Randles: "The job market in the media & events industry has been up and down over the past three years, so I'm loath to call this result a recovery."
Media hiring picks up, Melbourne outpaces Sydney for jobs
Hiring activity in Australia's media and events sector rose 11% in the September quarter, the industry's best result in three years, according to research from recruiters Mercury Talent. The result ends a run of four quarters of negative growth.
Media and marketing recruiters losing trust as AI-targeted scams hit
Legitimate employment recruiters looking to place workers into media and marketing roles are finding it increasingly hard to win trust, with a flood of recruitment scams targeting workers on LinkedIn, Facebook, and workplace email accounts.
Thank You To Our Women In Media Awards Judges
B&T thanks the judges of the 2026 Women in Media Awards, presented by Are Media, ahead of the ceremony at Sydney's White Bay Cruise Terminal. Justin Randles is among the judges recognised for their contribution to the awards process.
Meet Adland's Largest Rolodex Holders With B&T's Best Of The Best Recruiters
Finding a good job is hard — finding one that can make your career is harder still. B&T's annual Best of the Best Recruiters list spotlights the independent recruiters placing senior and specialist staff across agencies, client-side marketing and media owners. Justin Randles of Mercury Talent features at number seven.
Events, Retail Media & OOH Hiring Outpaces Market
Retail media, out-of-home and large-scale events businesses are pacing well ahead of the rest of the media industry, according to new Q2 2026 recruitment research by Mercury Talent. The large-scale events sector surged 139 per cent year-on-year, while OOH and retail media rose 54 per cent.
Australian Media Jobs Market Sluggish In Q2 2026, Melbourne Outpaces Sydney
The Australian media industry advertised 1,016 jobs in Q2 2026, a 5.5% increase year-on-year but essentially flat quarter-on-quarter, according to Mercury Talent. Melbourne recorded its strongest quarterly result in three years, accounting for 31% of all media industry recruitment activity.
Australia's Media Jobs Market Subdued, Melbourne Picks Up
Australia's media jobs market remains subdued overall, though Melbourne is showing signs of recovery with increased hiring activity across the sector.
Recruiters warn of pipeline collapse as adland culls juniors
Entry-level opportunities in digital advertising and adtech are vanishing, raising concerns among recruiters about a looming shortage of skilled talent in the industry.
Media hiring slips as sales roles fall and product teams rise
Hiring across Australia's media industry has dipped again, with job activity down 3.8% year-on-year in the March quarter, according to new data from Mercury Talent.
Media job pain intensifies as a structural shift shakes the industry
More pain for media industry job seekers with hiring activity down 3.8% in the March quarter compared to the same period last year, according to the latest research from Mercury Talent.
Australian media industry sees continued decline in hiring activity
The Australian media industry experienced a 3.8% decline in hiring activity year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, marking a continuation of quarterly declines over the past two years.
Media Hiring Slips As Companies Chase Senior Talent & Pull Back Mid-Level Roles
Australia's media industry has recorded another quarterly decline in hiring, with job activity falling 3.8 per cent year-on-year in the first three months of 2026, according to new data from Mercury Talent.
Media hiring slips again as sales roles contract
Mercury Talent says media hiring fell 3.8 per cent year-on-year in Q1 2026 as sales roles dropped sharply. Media industry hiring fell 3.8 per cent year-on-year in the March 2026 quarter, with sales and client service roles driving the decline.
Media jobs grow despite widespread cuts
Australia's media and events industry grew its workforce by more than 2% to about 60,000 employees in 2025, even as broadcasters and publishers shed staff.
Australian media and events workforce sees modest growth amidst sector shifts
Australia's media and events industry grew its workforce by more than 2% to approximately 60,000 employees in 2025, according to Mercury Talent's annual employment report.
Thank You To Our 30 Under 30 Judges
B&T recognises the judges of the 2026 30 Under 30 Awards, with Justin Randles of Mercury Talent among those acknowledged for their role in identifying the next generation of media and marketing talent.
Media industry hiring rebounds in Q3 2025 as tech hires drop
Australia's media industry recorded a rebound in hiring activity in the third quarter of 2025, with job postings up 6.2% quarter-on-quarter, according to Mercury Talent's latest quarterly report.
A wave of senior agency executives finding it hard to get in after redundancy
Senior agency executives who have been made redundant are finding it increasingly difficult to secure new roles, with a structural shift in the industry reducing demand for high-cost talent.
Scrub Up Those CVs & Polish Your Shoes — It's B&T's Best Of The Best Recruiters
B&T's annual Best of the Best Recruiters list returns, spotlighting the top independent recruiters across Australia's media, marketing and advertising industries. Mercury Talent's Justin Randles features among the top ten.
TV, Radio, OOH & Publishing Cut Recruitment Activity
Television, radio, out-of-home and publishing sectors all recorded declines in recruitment activity in the second quarter of 2025, according to Mercury Talent's latest quarterly hiring report.
Google, News Corp buck trends as media recruitment stagnates
Google and News Corp were among the few bright spots in an otherwise stagnant media recruitment market in Q2 2025, according to Mercury Talent's quarterly hiring report.
Media jobs market stubbornly subdued
Australia's media jobs market remains stubbornly subdued, with hiring activity flat for the third consecutive quarter, according to Mercury Talent's Q2 2025 recruitment report.
Agency non-compete clauses on the way out
Non-compete clauses in agency employment contracts are increasingly being challenged and abandoned, as talent shortages force employers to reconsider restrictive post-employment conditions.
Media recruitment remains steady — Mercury Talent
Australia's media recruitment market held steady in the third quarter of 2024, with Mercury Talent's quarterly report showing job postings broadly in line with the same period last year.
Media jobs fall 9% in June but sales roles still in demand
Media industry job postings fell 9% in June 2024 compared to the same month last year, though sales and commercial roles bucked the trend and remained in strong demand.
Marketing magazine founder to depart after 17 years
The founder of Marketing magazine has announced their departure after 17 years at the helm, marking the end of an era for one of Australia's longest-running marketing industry publications.
Forum Media Group acquires Lighthouse Independent Media
Forum Media Group has acquired Lighthouse Independent Media, the publisher of several leading Australian trade titles, in a deal that reshapes the independent media publishing landscape.