Content Jobs Fact Sheet

The content jobs landscape has evolved dramatically over the past decade. And the demand for content professionals has increased significantly. 

New technologies and platforms have brought about the need for more types of content jobs, including content engineers and content designers. While there is now more opportunity in the field, content professionals will need to expand their skills and knowledge to keep up with rapid digital transformation.

Although there has been strong growth in content jobs in recent years, it is unclear how COVID-19 will impact the content industry long-term, staff reductions, and slashed budgets may be a  near-term concern. Content Science wants to know how the crisis is affecting your work, and we’ll be tracking the impact.

Industry Trends

Right now, the future looks bright for content careers. The number of available jobs—and salaries—have increased. Inside organizations, content teams are small and agile and seek external expertise when necessary. 

Marketing jobs are on the rise. Advertising, promotions, and marketing manager jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2018 to 2028, faster, on average, than all occupations. The internet will continue to help extend the reach of digital content, which these managers oversee. — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Content marketing is in demand. There are approximately 100,000 content marketing jobs open on LinkedIn right now. — Introduction to Content Marketing, LinkedIn Learning

Content job salaries continue to increase. In 2019, average salaries ranged from $72,925 for a Content Manager to $59,325 for a Content Specialist, an increase from the previous year. Content Director salaries remained flat at $84,750. — Conductor 2019 Inbound Marketing Job + Salary Guide: U.S. Edition

Chief Content Officers are gaining traction at major brands. Global leadership advisory and search firm Russell Reynolds Associates has pinpointed more than 60 content executives who lead strategy within non-media organizations; nearly 1 in 4 work at a Fortune 500 company. — Russell Reynolds Associates

There are four emerging content roles businesses need. There are four emerging content roles for enterprises that are serious about maturing their content capacity for digital transformation: Content Strategist, Content Analyst, Content Designer, and Content Engineer. — Content Science Review

Marketing leaders prefer in-house teams. Sixty-three percent of marketing leaders surveyed have shifted work in-house while partnering with outside agencies for their expertise and to scale up work. Ideally, they only want to rely on external services to fill short-term resourcing gaps. — Gartner Marketing Organizational Survey 2019

Small content teams rule. Fifty-two percent of B2B marketers say their organization has a small (or one-person) marketing or content marketing team; the largest percentage (32%) have 2 to 5 internal team members. — 2020 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends – North America, Marketingprofs and Content Marketing Institute

Job Skills

Companies are now requiring content professionals to evolve their skill sets to gain expertise in areas such as search engine optimization and storytelling, and marketers are rising to the challenge. Meanwhile, there’s more collaboration between different teams and with technology.

Content leaders look for key qualities in new team members. Content Science’s “What Makes Content Teams Thrive?” study found that content leaders want content professionals who are high-performing, curious, systems-thinking, considerate, and competent in a content skill or role. — The Content Advantage 

More marketers have digital marketing skills. One study examined the profiles of LinkedIn users and found an increase in marketing keywords like “Google Analytics,” “social media,” and “SEO.” Profiles with “content marketing” had the largest growth, a 168% increase. — Fractl and Moz

Former journalists bring storytelling and editorial expertise. A majority of the Chief Content Officers identified are former journalists, hired on at their organizations in just the past two years. “Journalists bring the editorial rigor necessary to develop a credible brand voice.” — Jessica Weber, Russell Reynolds Associates

Wanted: SEO skills. For the first time in 2019, a majority of content jobs (56%) required SEO skills, highlighting a trend of less siloing of job duties. — Conductor 2019 Inbound Marketing Job + Salary Guide: U.S. Edition

Producing content requires different disciplines and collaborations. Deloitte Digital found that the top five areas responsible for creating content are: Corporate Marketing, Product/Brand Marketing, Subject Matter Experts, PR/Communications, and External Agency/Consultant. — Deloitte Digital

On the job content training is still lacking. In Content Science’s Content Leadership + Operations study, 78% of respondents indicated that their organization does not provide training related to content. — Content Operations Study

Artificial intelligence will help with tasks, but won’t take over jobs. AI is freeing up content creators from tedious tasks like identifying SEO keywords and sending automated emails, but can’t (yet) replace soft skills such as creativity. — HubSpot

Automation and artificial intelligence are becoming more pervasive in content. Content professionals will need seven key skills to thrive in the automation era: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, cross-cultural understanding, computing and tech literacy, and curiosity and self-guidance. — Content Science Review

With the rise in remote work, communication and collaboration skills will be key. Before the COIVD-19 crisis, remote work was already increasing. Now, many more workers may never go back to the office. Among those who have already been working from home, difficulties with communication and collaboration are their biggest struggles with remote work. — The 2020 State of Remote Work, Buffer

Bottom Line

Businesses today depend on a steady stream of compelling content to engage new and existing customers. It’s “a reality that’s prompting businesses to build their capacity to publish content on an unprecedented scale,” according to the Content Science survey, What Makes Content Teams Thrive? Positioning your content for success means having a competent and curious team united by a leader with a clear vision.