A Taligence and Aspen Technology Labs report counted 9% more U.S. in-house marketing vacancies in Q3 than a year earlier, while entry-level openings remained below 2025 levels, showing that gains varied by seniority.
The report’s Sept. 28 snapshot showed 36,832 live vacancies, up 9.0% from a year earlier and 3.9% from the end of Q2. Across the full quarter, 83,916 distinct listings appeared at some point, 1.9% fewer than in Q2. Employers posted 53,126 new marketing jobs during Q3, down 0.1% from the previous quarter.
Senior openings grew faster than the overall vacancy count. Director-level and above vacancies reached 5,167, a 15.5% annual increase. Group Director, Senior Director and VP openings rose 28.4%, while C-suite vacancies fell 14.3%.
Entry-level vacancies rose 10.2% from Q2 but were still 2.5% below their year-earlier level. Taligence’s Q2 report had put those vacancies 16.4% below Q1 and 4.0% below a year earlier at its June 29 snapshot. The company’s methodology says historical comparisons can be recalculated as data coverage and quality controls change.
Michael Woodrow, president of Aspen Technology Labs, said in Taligence’s Nov. 5 release that it was “too early to call a turnaround.” The report’s figures describe advertised openings, and do not establish whether those jobs resulted in hires or why entry-level vacancies changed.
The median advertised marketing salary was $97,500, up 14.0% year over year. Salary details appeared in 57.3% of listings, compared with 53.9% a year earlier. The median is based on pay information in job postings and may not match compensation ultimately received.
The analysis covers full-time, in-house U.S. marketing roles listed on employer career websites and applicant tracking systems. It excludes agency, freelance, contract and part-time work. Whether the quarter-over-quarter increase in entry-level vacancies continues in Q4 remains to be seen.
