Kevin Downey A glut of media planners and buyers looking for jobs may drive down salaries by as much as 10 percent this year, say some executive recruiters. They might be able to take advantage of people who do not have any options. Susan Huhndorf, an executive recruiter at the Watts Group, says even employed media people looking for a new job may be facing a salary dip.
People are realistic about moving without an increase or even taking a slight cut.
People who experienced that salary inflation are now having trouble moving. The job market for media planners and buyers is pretty grim and recruiters say things are unlikely to pick up until Wall Street recovers. Already this year, the Dow is down 12 percent and the Nasdaq is down about 26 percent. The advertising economy has been slowing almost in unison with the stock market and, by most estimates, won t recover until the third or fourth quarter of this year. When the stock market is down, it has a slow but direct impact on the advertising job market and salaries.