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As advertising agencies continue to merge, restructure, and acquire each other—Publicis’ purchase of influencer marketing platform Captiv8 is the most recent example—agency employees are nervous about the sector’s future.
As a result, many are looking to leave.
A recent ADWEEK Reader Survey shows 29% of ad agency employees feel ongoing consolidation across the industry will have a negative effect on their job. A smaller amount—21%—indicated more M&A activity would have a positive outcome.
At the same time, more than twice as many respondents believe ongoing agency consolidation will do more to hurt brand clients (44%) than help them (21%).
More than 350 ADWEEK readers who took the poll said they presently work at an ad agency. The majority of respondents indicated their agency focuses on a mixture of media and creative. More work at an independent agency than one owned by a holding company, such as WPP, IPG, or Omnicom.
While currently employed in the field, many survey participants might soon leave the industry.
Additional data reveals more than one in three ad agency workers are currently looking for jobs in other fields.
People have good reason to be concerned, as the ad industry hasn’t seen job growth in recent years.
Between March 2023 and March 2025, the number of jobs at U.S. ad agencies declined 3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By contrast, employment in the professional and business services category, which includes ad agencies, dropped 1% during the same period.
On the brand side, marketers are also having a difficult time navigating the economy amid trade wars and sinking consumer sentiment.
A separate survey from market research firm NewtonX shows nearly four in five U.S.-based marketing decision-makers say it’s harder to plan ahead today than it was the same time last year.
Overall, 8% of marketers intend to increase spending on advertising in 2025 due to tariffs, while 27% expect to pull back.
