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A report from the Digital Marketing Sector Council says employers need to step up their company culture and DEI if they want to hold on to top talent.
Company culture, growth systems, meaningful compensation and DEI have never been more important to employee retention, says a recent report from the Digital Marketing Sector Council (DMSC), Canada’s advisory council providing research and insights to ensure digital marketing education aligns with labour market demands. The report, titled “Hiring & Retention Practices for Digital Marketing Roles in Canada,” calls for action from employers to rethink their long-term retention strategies or risk the throes of employee dissatisfaction and high turnover.
The DMSC surveyed stakeholders across a gamut of industries—ranging from marketing and communications to charities, nonprofits, sales, sports, trades and engineering—to identify challenges in digital marketing employee retention faced by Canadian companies. The survey asked how respondents are adapting and revealed changes that can be implemented to stifle any residual effects of mass employee departure.
“Our goal was to explore the current challenges Canadian companies are dealing with and how they’re approaching hiring and retention for digital marketing roles,” says Richard Wong, DMSC board member. “We wanted to understand why employees are choosing to leave, what companies are doing to keep their teams engaged, and how they’re working to attract and support diverse talent.”
According to the report findings, employers are doing many things well.
They depend on social platforms like LinkedIn for most of their hiring needs, and they have robust onboarding strategies, such as on-the-job training, a mentorship or buddy system, or a formal orientation program.
“That shows employers are heading in the right direction and are starting to understand what today’s workforce values,” Wong says. “But in a lot of ways, they’re still falling short.”
Despite these efforts, 48% of respondents say digital marketing employees are being retained for three years or less, and 29% have noticed a downward trend in the average length of employment.
“This really gets to the heart of the issue,” Wong says. “The first step to improving retention is figuring out why employees are leaving in the first place.”
Survey respondents say employees are leaving companies because of three primary reasons: they landed a similar role elsewhere (39%), they found increased pay or benefits at another company (39%) or they either found a higher level position at another company (27%) or perceived a lack of growth or advancement opportunities at their current job (27%).
The numbers track, since 58% of respondents say they offer at or below market average compensation, and only 45% are willing to offer competitive wages to improve retention. At the same time, less than half are prepared to support internal growth opportunities (39%) or flexible work hours (39%) to improve in this area.
While 59% of respondents offer DEI and cultural sensitivity training, either formally or informally, only 26% of respondents have practices in place for retaining individuals from underrepresented groups.
“This study highlights how important it is for employers to focus on retention strategies in digital marketing roles,” Wong says. “Prioritizing competitive pay, strong DEI efforts and opportunities for employee growth can help organizations lower turnover, boost satisfaction and stay competitive in a constantly evolving industry.”
Employers are encouraged to take advantage of first-hand data by conducting structured exit interviews to extract actionable insights into employee departures and inform future retention strategies.
Although compensation is important to employees, superficial perks are less effective. The report urges employers to refocus on retention drivers, such as professional growth systems, career advancement opportunities and leadership training to help retain quality talent.
“They also need to step up their DEI efforts,” Wong says. “By embedding comprehensive programs like mandatory training and inclusive hiring practices, organizations can attract and retain diverse talent while fostering greater equity in the workplace.”
Read the entire “Hiring & Retention Practices for Digital Marketing Roles in Canada” report and all the other reports DMSC has produced here.