WHAT THE DATA SAY: 59% say it will be harder to find a job in the next six months

JOB SEEKERS STRUGGLE

Current job seekers can expect the hunt to become even more difficult in the next six months, according to our Harris Poll report with Express Employment Professionals.

• 78% believe employers have the upper hand in today's job market.
• 44% of job seekers are actively looking for a new job - up from 41% last year.
• 59% believe it will be harder to find a job in the next six months - up 9 points from last year.
• 48% believe there are fewer job opportunities than a year ago.
• 25% expect it will take more than six months to find a job.
• The top challenges are finding job opportunities that match their qualifications (52%), landing a job quickly enough to cover basic expenses (46%) and standing out in an increasingly competitive market (44%).
• 83% are willing to accept a different role than initially planned to combat these challenges.
• Motivations for job seekers include better pay (42%), improved work-life balance (39%) and career advancement (31%).

FINDING JOBS ESPECIALLY HARD FOR NEW GRADS

Recent college graduates are having an especially hard time finding entry-level jobs - even competing with AI - according to our Harris Poll research.

• 58% of recent graduates are still searching for full-time employment.
• 65% of Gen Z report FOBO - the fear of being obsolete.
• 45% report AI made their college degree irrelevant.
• As a result, 51% view their college degrees as "a waste of money."
• 41% of Gen Z say financial stability is their top priority, over enjoyable work (32%).
• 80% of hiring managers say they anticipate a recession, prompting 83% to cut costs through process streamlining, cross-training, hiring freezes and layoffs.

PUTTING THE 'MARKETING' IN CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

CMOs have a crucial role to drive business results, yet they face budget constraints and limited control, according to our GALE CMO report with Forbes.

• 67% say CMOs must become business architects, not just brand stewards.
• Only 19% consider their organizations "extremely effective" at demonstrating marketing impact.
• 39% report that their budgets are fully aligned with and supportive of their strategic vision.
• 48% cite limited control over budget allocation as a barrier to meeting strategic goals.
• CEOs (69%) and CFOs (65%) remain the key decision makers in marketing spend.
• 57% report flat year-over-year budgets.
• 70% agree agency partners need to understand their business more holistically to be effective.

BURNOUT FROM BUSYWORK

Data analysts are relying on unsanctioned AI usage in the workplace to combat burnout, according to our Harris Poll research with dtb labs.

• Organizations lose $21,613 per year in wasted analyst productivity.
• 78% of analysts' time is consumed by busywork.
• 54% admit to using AI tools to analyze company data outside of approved systems.
• 90% are eager to incorporate more AI tools into their workflows.
• 72% report their organization isn't investing enough in AI-powered platforms.
• 32% have created workarounds to bypass governance processes entirely.

SPORTS FANS LIKE BILLBOARDS

Out-of-home advertising is a powerful tool to engage sports fans, according to our Harris Poll research with the Out of Home Advertising Association.

• 60% of adults recall seeing an OOH ad for a major sporting event.
• 90% took real-world action.
• 61% engaged on social media.
• 62% want ads connected to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FUTURE OF NEWS APAC: Join us for the first Future of News APAC Summit next Thursday, Oct. 2. Moderated by Stagwell Vice Chair and Allison Worldwide Executive Chair Ray Day, the event will feature panel discussions and the release of new brand safety research. If you, your teams or clients are interested in attending, please register using this link.

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