Last updated: June 2026

Employers hiring marketing, PR and communications talent in Ireland in 2026 need more than a salary table. They need to understand how salary, role scope, hybrid working, benefits, seniority and candidate expectations work together.

A Marketing Manager, Communications Manager, Digital Marketing Manager or Head of Marketing can mean very different things depending on the remit. The same title may carry different salary expectations depending on team size, commercial accountability, sector complexity, public profile, hybrid model and reporting line.

For employers, salary benchmarking should happen before the role goes to market, not after candidates are already interviewing.

Ireland’s marketing, PR and communications hiring market is active but more selective than the post-pandemic peaks. Employers may have more choice in some areas, especially for broad or junior roles, but experienced talent in digital marketing, PR, corporate communications, public affairs, stakeholder engagement, content, performance marketing, CRM and senior marketing leadership remains competitive.

This is not a “cheap talent” market. It is a precision-hiring market.

For a wider view of hiring demand, seniority patterns and market conditions, see The Irish Marketing, PR & Communications Hiring Outlook 2026.

What should employers pay marketing, PR and communications talent in Ireland in 2026?

Employers in Ireland should plan from the high €20,000s to mid €50,000s for executive roles, mid €50,000s to mid €80,000s for manager roles, and €80,000+ for senior leadership roles.

The exact range depends on the discipline and the remit. Marketing, PR, communications, digital, public affairs and corporate affairs roles do not benchmark in the same way.

Salary also does not work in isolation. Candidates compare the full offer: base salary, bonus, benefits, hybrid working, progression, role credibility, leadership quality, workload and process speed.

For comparison, our 2025 Salary, Benefits and Sentiment Survey found that salary ranked as the top contributor to job satisfaction across all experience cohorts, followed by work-life balance. That is an important signal for 2026 hiring. Pay gets candidates to engage, but the wider employment offer often determines whether they move.

At a glance: salary and hiring signals for 2026

Employers should treat salary as one part of the total hiring proposition, not as a standalone figure.

2026 hiring question	Employer takeaway
What should we pay?	Benchmark by role scope, not title alone.
What roles are most salary-sensitive?	Specialist digital, senior marketing, corporate communications, public affairs and reputation-sensitive roles.
What does Spencer’s 2025 survey show?	Salary ranked first for job satisfaction, work-life balance second, and 85% of respondents worked in hybrid settings.
What benefits matter most?	Health insurance, pension contribution, dental insurance, life insurance/death in service and income protection ranked highest in Spencer’s 2025 survey.
What causes offer friction?	Late salary discussion, unclear hybrid expectations, weak benefits, slow process and over-stacked role briefs.
What should employers do first?	Define the role, agree the salary range, clarify the hybrid model and benchmark the total offer before going to market.

The strongest employers in 2026 are not necessarily those paying the highest salary in every case. They are the employers who align salary, scope, expectations and process before they approach candidates.

What is different about marketing, PR and communications hiring in 2026?

Ireland’s specialist marketing, PR and communications market is more selective, but strong candidates still have leverage where roles require senior judgement, digital capability or reputational responsibility.

The broad hiring market has cooled from the most intense post-pandemic period. Employers are more measured about adding headcount and more careful about approving new roles.

However, that does not mean good candidates are easy to hire.

The strongest demand is concentrated in roles that solve a clear business problem. These include growth-focused marketing roles, digital marketing management, CRM and automation, senior communications, corporate affairs, public affairs, agency account leadership, stakeholder engagement and reputation-sensitive roles.

CIPD Ireland’s HR Practices in Ireland 2026 report highlights continued employer focus on attraction, retention, skills, hybrid working and AI. For specialist marketing and communications roles, that means salary should be viewed alongside flexibility, skills scarcity and the quality of the role itself.

Employers should answer five questions before they brief the market.

Question	Why it matters
What business problem does this role solve?	It prevents vague or over-stacked briefs.
What level is the role really operating at?	It avoids paying manager rates for senior-manager expectations.
What salary range is realistic?	It reduces late-stage candidate drop-off.
What hybrid model are we offering?	It affects attraction and conversion.
What makes the role worth moving for?	Strong candidates compare opportunity, not just salary.

2026 salary guide for marketing, PR, communications and digital roles in Ireland

Marketing, PR and communications salary ranges in Ireland vary significantly by discipline, seniority, setting and scope. Employers should use salary tables as planning ranges, then adjust for the specific brief.

The figures below are employer planning ranges. They are not fixed rates or guaranteed salaries.

Final salary will depend on Dublin versus regional location, in-house versus agency structure, sector complexity, team size, budget ownership, reporting line, hybrid expectations and candidate availability.

These ranges combine: 1) Spencer Recruitment’s specialist market knowledge, 2) Spencer’s 2025 salary survey for PR, communications and public affairs roles, and 3) current Irish market salary benchmarking, including public 2026 salary-guide sources such as the Morgan McKinley Ireland Salary Guide.

Function	Role type	Typical Irish base salary planning range
Marketing	Marketing Assistant / Coordinator	€28,000–€35,000
Marketing	Marketing Executive	€33,000–€55,000
Marketing	Marketing Manager	€55,000–€75,000
Marketing	Senior Marketing Manager / Growth Lead	€70,000–€90,000
Marketing	Head of Marketing	€85,000–€125,000
Marketing	Marketing Director	€100,000–€180,000
Digital Marketing	Digital Marketing Executive	€30,000–€45,000
Digital Marketing	Digital Marketing Specialist / Executive	€38,000–€55,000
Digital Marketing	Digital Marketing Manager	€55,000–€90,000
Digital Marketing	Head of Digital / Digital Lead	€80,000–€130,000
Performance Marketing	PPC / Paid Media / SEO Specialist	€35,000–€55,000
Performance Marketing	Performance Marketing Manager	€55,000–€80,000
Brand	Assistant Brand Manager	€38,000–€50,000
Brand	Brand Manager	€48,000–€75,000
Brand	Head of Brand / Brand Director	€80,000–€120,000
Content / Social	Communications / Content Executive	€35,000–€50,000
Content / Social	Content / Web Content Manager	€55,000–€90,000
Content / Social	Social Media Executive / Specialist	€35,000–€50,000
Content / Social	Social Media Manager	€55,000–€85,000
PR	PR / Account Executive	€28,000–€38,000
PR	PR Manager / Account Manager	€42,000–€65,000
PR	PR Senior Manager / Senior Account Manager	€50,000–€80,000
PR	PR Head / Account Director	€60,000–€100,000
PR	PR Director	€90,000–€200,000
Communications	Communications Executive / Specialist	€30,000–€50,000
Communications	Communications Manager	€50,000–€85,000
Corporate Communications	Corporate Communications Manager	€50,000–€90,000
Internal Communications	Internal Communications Manager	€50,000–€85,000
Communications Leadership	Head of Communications	€80,000–€125,000
Communications Leadership	Communications Director	€100,000–€180,000
Public Affairs	Public Affairs Executive	€30,000–€45,000
Public Affairs	Public Affairs Manager	€40,000–€70,000
Public Affairs	Senior Public Affairs Manager	€60,000–€100,000
Public / Corporate Affairs	Head of Public Affairs / Corporate Affairs	€80,000–€150,000
Public / Corporate Affairs	Director of Public Affairs / Communications / Corporate Affairs	€90,000–€150,000+

The most important point is that salary should follow scope.

A broad Marketing Manager role with campaign delivery, events, content and agency coordination will not benchmark the same way as a growth-focused marketing manager with performance accountability, CRM ownership and board-level reporting.

A Communications Manager role focused mainly on content and internal updates will not benchmark the same way as one that includes media handling, crisis support, public affairs and executive counsel.

Employers should use the table as a starting point, then pressure-test the actual role.

Why is job title not enough for salary benchmarking?

A job title is only a starting point. Employers should benchmark salary against scope, seniority, accountability, work model, sector complexity and judgement.

This is one of the most common reasons salary conversations go wrong.

A “Marketing Manager” in one organisation may be a hands-on campaign lead. In another, the same title may include budget ownership, agency management, customer acquisition, sales alignment, reporting and team leadership.

A “Communications Manager” may mean internal communications, media relations, corporate communications, public affairs support, stakeholder engagement or a blend of all of these.

A “Head of Marketing” may be a senior individual contributor in a lean SME, or a true head-of-function role with team, budget, growth and senior leadership accountability.

For employers, the better question is not:

What does this title usually pay?

The best question is:

What level of responsibility are we actually asking this person to carry?

That is where salary benchmarking becomes useful.

How should employers benchmark marketing salaries in 2026?

Marketing salaries should be benchmarked against commercial accountability, specialist depth and ownership. Digital, CRM, automation and performance roles often require tighter salary calibration.

The broad “all-round marketer” still has value, especially in SMEs and lean in-house teams. But the salary picture changes when the role carries measurable growth responsibility, digital ownership, CRM, automation, ecommerce, brand transformation or senior stakeholder influence.

Roles in digital marketing, performance, CRM, automation, ecommerce and growth are often more salary-sensitive because the candidate pool is more specialised and the outputs are more commercially measurable.

A useful way to think about marketing salary benchmarking is:

Hiring need	Salary implication
Campaign support, coordination and execution	Executive or early specialist bands
Multi-channel campaign delivery	Marketing Executive or Marketing Manager bands
Website, social, email, paid media and reporting ownership	Digital specialist or Digital Marketing Manager bands
CRM, automation, performance or ecommerce ownership	Upper digital or specialist manager bands
Team leadership, budget ownership and commercial reporting	Senior Manager or Head of Marketing bands
Business-wide marketing strategy and senior leadership influence	Head of Marketing or Marketing Director bands

The hiring mistake to avoid is role-stacking. If one person is expected to own brand, content, digital, CRM, events, analytics, AI adoption, agency management and senior stakeholder reporting, the salary and title need to reflect that.

Additionally, employers should not collapse agency and in-house roles into one comparison. Agency roles may involve pace, client management, commercial pressure, pitching and multi-account delivery. In-house roles may involve deeper organisational ownership, leadership advisory work, internal alignment and long-term stakeholder relationships.

Ultimately, if the salary does not match the remit, employers may still attract applications, but they are less likely to attract the right shortlist.

How much should employers pay a Marketing Manager in Ireland?

A Marketing Manager in Ireland typically benchmarks around €55,000–€75,000, with higher salaries where the role includes budget, team, digital or commercial accountability.

A lower-range Marketing Manager role is usually more executional. It may involve campaign coordination, content planning, events, suppliers, agency coordination and reporting.

A higher-range Marketing Manager role usually carries more ownership. It may involve annual planning, budget responsibility, team leadership, senior stakeholder management, performance reporting or revenue influence.

Employers should avoid using a single Marketing Manager benchmark without first defining what the person will own.

How much should employers pay a Head of Marketing in Ireland?

A Head of Marketing in Ireland typically benchmarks around €85,000–€125,000, depending on team size, budget, commercial ownership and leadership expectations.

A Head of Marketing role should not be priced like a campaign manager with a senior title. At this level, employers should usually expect strategy ownership, budget control, agency direction, team leadership and senior stakeholder influence.

The salary should increase when the role includes growth targets, board or C-suite exposure, market ownership, brand transformation, multi-channel leadership or responsibility for building the marketing function.

If the role is hands-on because the business is lean, that should be clear in the brief. A hands-on Head of Marketing can still be a senior hire, but the salary should reflect both strategic and executional expectations.

How should employers benchmark digital marketing salaries in Ireland?

Digital marketing salaries should reflect channel ownership, reporting discipline and commercial impact, not just platform familiarity.

A Digital Marketing Executive may sit around €30,000–€45,000, while a Digital Marketing Manager may sit around €55,000–€90,000. The difference is not just years of experience. It is the level of ownership.

A strong Digital Marketing Manager should usually be able to explain:

• what channels they owned;
• what budgets they managed;
• how they measured performance;
• how they reported results;
• what they changed based on data;
• how they worked with sales, ecommerce, content, CRM or agencies;
• how their work affected leads, revenue, conversion, engagement or retention.

Employers should avoid writing digital briefs that list every possible channel without clarifying priorities. A role that covers paid media, SEO, social, email, CRM, ecommerce, reporting, automation and content may need either a higher salary, a more senior title or a narrower remit.

How much should employers pay a Communications Manager in Ireland?

A Communications Manager in Ireland typically benchmarks around €50,000–€85,000, depending on whether the role is content-led, internal, external, corporate or stakeholder-heavy.

A lower-to-mid range Communications Manager role may focus on content, campaigns, internal updates, newsletters, events, social content or general communications delivery.

A higher-range Communications Manager role may include corporate communications, media handling, leadership messaging, crisis response, stakeholder engagement, internal change communications or public affairs support.

The salary should rise where the role requires judgement under pressure. A communications role that advises senior leaders, manages reputational risk or handles external scrutiny should not be benchmarked only as an output-delivery role.

How should employers benchmark public affairs and corporate affairs salaries?

Public affairs and corporate affairs roles should be benchmarked by complexity, stakeholder exposure and seniority. Titles often hide very different levels of responsibility.

Public affairs is not simply PR with political contacts. It often involves policy interpretation, stakeholder mapping, advocacy, lobbying compliance, consultation responses, briefing documents and engagement with political, regulatory or public-sector audiences.

Corporate affairs is usually broader. It may combine corporate communications, public affairs, stakeholder engagement, issues management, media relations, reputation, ESG and executive advisory work.

A Public Affairs Manager may sit around €40,000–€70,000, while a Senior Public Affairs Manager may sit around €60,000–€100,000. Head of Public Affairs or Corporate Affairs roles often move into €80,000–€150,000 territory, with director-level roles extending above that depending on scope.

The biggest employer risk is under-scoping the role. If one person is expected to advise leaders, manage policy, handle media, brief stakeholders, support public affairs and protect reputation, the salary needs to reflect that breadth.

What benefits do marketing, PR and communications candidates expect?

Experienced candidates expect practical benefits, not novelty perks. Pension, healthcare, paid sick leave, annual leave, flexible working and income protection can influence offer acceptance.

Specifically, our survey found that the most important hard benefits were health insurance, employer pension contribution, dental insurance, life insurance/death in service and income protection.

The same survey showed that some valued benefits were not widely received.

Benefit	Importance ranking in Spencer’s 2025 survey	Percentage receiving it
Health insurance	1st	44%
Employer pension contribution	2nd	64%
Dental insurance	3rd	10%
Life insurance / death in service	4th	33%
Income protection insurance	5th	16%
Paid sick leave	6th	71%
Maternity pay	7th	36%
Vision insurance	8th	2%
Additional WFH / abroad days	9th	36%
Paternity pay	10th	27%

Survey data insights

Spencer’s 2025 survey also found that 25 days was the most common annual leave allocation, and the average employer pension contribution was 8%.

The practical lesson is that candidates are not only asking, “What is the salary?” They are asking, “What does the total package say about how this employer values the role?”

For early-career talent, career growth and development may be especially important. For more experienced talent, benefits can carry more weight. For instance, employees with seven or more years’ experience ranked benefits above career growth opportunities as a contributor to job satisfaction.

Employers do not need to lead the market on every benefit. But they do need to know where the offer is strong, where it is average and where it may need to be explained.

Is hybrid working part of salary negotiation in 2026?

Yes. Hybrid working is part of the total offer. We found that 85% of our survey respondents worked in hybrid settings, usually two or three remote days per week.

Hybrid working is no longer a simple perk. It is part of how candidates assess the value of a role.

That does not mean fully remote work is the default. It is not. Many employers are tightening office expectations compared with the pandemic period.

But in marketing, PR and communications hiring, office expectations now affect salary conversion. A role requiring four or five days on site may still be attractive, but it usually needs a stronger overall value proposition.

That may mean:

• a higher base salary;
• stronger benefits;
• clearer progression;
• a highly attractive brand;
• meaningful work;
• senior exposure;
• flexible hours;
• or flexibility during quieter periods.

This is especially important in Dublin, where commute time and cost can influence candidate response.

CIPD Ireland’s 2026 HR practices report highlights hybrid working as a continued issue for employers, with organisations focused on how hybrid work is managed and how it supports attraction, retention and productivity.

For employers, clarity matters. Candidates want to know the real working pattern before they invest in a process.

A vague “hybrid” policy is not enough. Employers should be specific about how many days are expected in the office, whether the days are fixed, whether flexibility exists around client meetings or campaign peaks, and whether expectations differ during probation.

The clearer the answer, the fewer surprises later.

How is AI changing salary and role expectations?

AI is changing role design and skill expectations, but it is not replacing specialist marketing, PR or communications judgement.

In fact, 60% of our respondents indicated they used AI at least weekly in their day-to-day work. Agency staff showed a higher propensity for regular AI use than in-house staff, but the survey did not find significant variance by experience or seniority. 

For employers, the question is:

How do they use AI, and does it improve the quality, speed, measurement or commercial impact of the work?

In marketing, AI is most relevant where it supports content workflows, campaign testing, CRM, automation, segmentation, reporting, search, personalisation and performance analysis.

In communications, AI can support research, drafting, summarisation and workflow speed. But it cannot replace judgement around stakeholders, media sensitivity, reputation risk, public affairs, crisis response or leadership counsel.

CIPD Ireland’s 2026 HR practices report identifies AI as a major driver of workplace change and highlights the need for stronger readiness, governance and skills.

That is directly relevant to hiring. Employers need candidates who can use AI responsibly, not candidates who simply list tools.

There may be a salary premium where AI capability improves measurable outcomes, workflow quality or specialist execution. But superficial AI familiarity should not be overvalued.

The strongest candidates will be able to explain where AI helps, where it creates risk and where human judgement must remain in control.

Does salary transparency improve shortlist quality?

Salary transparency improves hiring efficiency. It helps employers attract relevant candidates, reduce misalignment and avoid late-stage drop-off.

When salary is hidden until late in the process, both sides lose time. Candidates may discover the role is below expectation after several interviews. Employers may believe they have a strong finalist, only to lose them when compensation is finally discussed.

This is especially damaging in specialist marketing, PR and communications hiring, where the strongest candidates may already be employed and may need a clear reason to engage.

Salary transparency does not always mean publishing the exact final offer. But it should mean knowing the range before the role goes to market and being ready to discuss it early.

A practical approach is:

Hiring stage	Salary action
Before briefing	Agree the realistic range and flexibility.
Before advertising	Decide whether the range will be published.
First conversation	Confirm candidate expectations early.
Interview stage	Avoid adding responsibilities without reviewing salary.
Offer stage	Move quickly and avoid reopening basic compensation questions.

Employers sometimes worry that publishing a range will limit negotiation. In practice, a realistic range can improve application relevance and strengthen trust.

If the range is not competitive, the issue is not transparency. The issue is the offer.

What are the most common salary and hiring mistakes employers should avoid?

Most salary problems begin before sourcing. They usually come from unclear role scope, unrealistic expectations or late compensation alignment.

The most common mistakes are:

1. Benchmarking by job title alone A title does not tell you enough. Scope, seniority, sector, reporting line, hybrid model and accountability matter.
2. Combining too many disciplines into one underpriced role A role that spans brand, digital, CRM, content, PR, events, analytics and AI may need to be priced above a standard generalist role.
3. Hiding the salary band until late in the process This increases the risk of candidate withdrawal and wasted interview time.
4. Treating hybrid working as a perk For many marketing, PR and communications candidates, hybrid working is now part of the expected offer.
5. Using junior salary bands for senior judgement A role requiring board exposure, crisis response, policy interpretation or commercial decision-making should not be benchmarked as an executional role.
6. Comparing agency and in-house salaries without context Agency and in-house roles can carry very different pressure, pace, bonus structures, client exposure and progression routes.
7. Ignoring benefits and progression Salary matters, but candidates also assess pension, healthcare, annual leave, development, mentorship and workload.
8. Running too many interview stages Slow or unclear processes weaken the offer, especially where candidates are comparing multiple opportunities.
9. Adding responsibilities during the process without changing salary If the brief becomes bigger, the salary may need to move too.
10. Assuming more applications means a strong market Application volume does not equal shortlist quality. Specialist hiring depends on relevance.

What should employers check before going to market?

Employers should confirm the role, salary, hybrid model, benefits and interview process before advertising or briefing candidates.

Use this checklist before going to market.

Question	What to confirm
What business problem does the role solve?	Growth, reputation, stakeholder engagement, digital capability, public affairs, content, leadership or delivery capacity.
What discipline is the role really in?	Marketing, digital, PR, communications, corporate affairs, public affairs or a hybrid remit.
What level is the role?	Executive, specialist, manager, senior manager, head-of-function or director.
What salary range is realistic?	Benchmark against scope and market expectations.
What hybrid model is being offered?	Days in office, flexibility, location expectations and any exceptions.
What benefits are included?	Pension, healthcare, paid sick leave, leave, bonus, development and other practical benefits.
What is the interview process?	Number of stages, decision-makers, assessment tasks and timeline.
What would make the role worth moving for?	Progression, brand, leadership, meaningful work, autonomy, team, flexibility or package.
What risks could weaken the shortlist?	Under-scoped remit, low salary, slow process, unclear reporting line or weak benefits.
Does the role need specialist recruiter input?	Especially if the pool is narrow, senior, confidential or hard to benchmark.

This is where employers can prevent many hiring problems before they happen.

When should employers speak to a specialist recruiter?

Employers should speak to a specialist recruiter when the role is senior, specialist, confidential, hard to benchmark or has already failed through direct hiring.

This is especially relevant when:

• the role spans marketing, digital, communications, public affairs or corporate affairs;
• the candidate pool is narrow;
• salary expectations are unclear;
• the hiring manager and HR team are not aligned on scope;
• the role requires passive candidates;
• direct advertising has produced too many unsuitable applications;
• the hire is reputation-sensitive or commercially important;
• the process needs to move quickly.

Specialist recruitment support is not just about finding CVs. In this market, it is also about defining the role, benchmarking salary, interpreting candidate expectations and helping employers avoid preventable process friction.

Planning a marketing, PR, communications, public affairs or digital hire in Ireland in 2026? Spencer Recruitment can help you benchmark the role, define the salary range and understand what candidates are likely to expect before you go to market.

Key takeaways for employers

• Salary benchmarking should happen before a role goes to market, not after candidates are already interviewing.
• Marketing, PR and communications salaries in Ireland vary significantly by remit, seniority, sector, work model and accountability.
• Spencer Recruitment’s 2025 Salary, Benefits and Sentiment Survey should be treated as first-party evidence on candidate expectations, benefits, hybrid working, AI use and specialist PR/comms/public affairs salary benchmarks.
• For 2026 hiring, employers should combine Spencer’s first-party evidence with current public market data and live role benchmarking.
• Hybrid working is part of the total package, not a side perk.
• Benefits matter most when they are practical: pension, healthcare, paid sick leave, annual leave, income protection, development and flexibility.
• AI capability may affect salary where it improves workflow, commercial outcomes, reporting or content operations, but it does not replace judgement.
• Employers who define the role clearly, disclose salary early, move quickly and offer a credible total package are more likely to secure the right shortlist.

FAQs

What is the average marketing salary in Ireland in 2026?

There is no single average marketing salary that is useful for every role. Marketing Assistants and Coordinators may sit around €28,000–€35,000, Marketing Executives around €33,000–€55,000, Marketing Managers around €55,000–€75,000, Heads of Marketing around €85,000–€125,000, and Marketing Directors around €100,000–€180,000 depending on scope, sector and seniority.

What should employers pay a Marketing Manager in Ireland?

A typical Marketing Manager planning range is around €55,000–€75,000. Roles at the lower end are usually more executional. Roles at the upper end often include broader channel ownership, budget responsibility, agency management, reporting, stakeholder influence or commercial accountability.

What should employers pay a Head of Marketing in Ireland?

A typical Head of Marketing planning range is around €85,000–€125,000. The final salary should depend on team size, budget ownership, growth responsibility, senior leadership exposure, sector complexity and whether the role is strategic, hands-on or both.

What is the salary range for a Digital Marketing Manager in Ireland?

A Digital Marketing Manager commonly sits around €55,000–€90,000. Roles that include web, paid media, CRM, reporting, ecommerce, automation or performance accountability will usually need to be benchmarked carefully against the upper half of the range.

What is the average Communications Manager salary in Ireland?

A Communications Manager planning range is around €50,000–€85,000. The salary should be higher where the role includes corporate communications, media handling, crisis response, public affairs, internal change communications, senior stakeholder advice or regulated-sector exposure.

What should employers pay PR agency staff in Ireland?

Spencer Recruitment’s 2025 Salary, Benefits and Sentiment Survey gave recommended starting salaries of €30,000 for Account Executive, €36,000 for Senior Account Executive, €48,000 for Account Manager, €55,000 for Senior Account Manager, €68,000 for Account Director, €75,000 for Senior Account Director, €85,000 for Associate Director and €95,000 for PR / Communications / Public Affairs Director. Employers should use these as 2025 first-party benchmarks and adjust for 2026 market conditions and role scope.

Does hybrid working affect salary expectations?

Yes. Hybrid working is part of the total offer. Spencer’s 2025 survey found that 85% of respondents were in hybrid work settings, usually with two or three remote days per week. Employers can require more office presence, but a stricter office model usually needs a stronger salary, benefits, progression or brand case.

Should employers include salary ranges in job ads?

Where possible, yes. Salary transparency helps candidates self-select and reduces late-stage friction. If employers do not publish the range, they should still know it internally and discuss expectations early in the process.

Should AI skills affect salary bands?

AI skills can affect salary where they improve measurable outcomes, workflow quality, reporting, automation, experimentation or content operations. But employers should not overpay for superficial tool familiarity. The strongest candidates can explain how AI improves the work and where human judgement still matters.

When should employers ask Spencer Recruitment for salary guidance?

Employers should ask for salary guidance before going to market if the role is senior, specialist, confidential, hard to benchmark or crosses several disciplines. Early salary advice can help prevent weak shortlists, late-stage candidate drop-off and unrealistic role design.