A few years ago, local businesses like LivingSocial and Groupon, among many others, were hiring and growing quickly. They wanted to put hundreds of salesmen on the road as soon as possible to take advantage of their new market. However, in 2023, those prosperous times have somewhat subsided as nearby businesses have adapted to a period of unstable economic conditions and are hesitant to raise staffing levels. Nowadays, a lot of businesses have made the decision that they will only increase expenses in the event that the ideal individual is found.
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Therefore, despite the fact that locally focused businesses have clear needs, hiring is difficult because of the state of the economy in general. 2023 saw an upsurge in some local commerce, tech, and marketing sectors as more and more brands began to focus locally; hiring activity was particularly concentrated in early-stage and mid-sized businesses.
The following are some of the most recent hiring trends that we have observed in the area:
Reduced In-Field Guidance
In recent months, we’ve observed a consolidation of sales leadership roles in traditional and digital media. The days of newly established corporations assembling sizable field sales teams and appointing managers to oversee them are long gone. The majority of businesses are either developing specialized inside-call centers or selling through channels and attempting to capitalize on the current sales teams of their partners. Overall, we are seeing less searches for regional sales managers and area sales managers than at any other point in the previous five years, with a few notable outliers, such as Cardlytics in Atlanta.
Increased Sales for Agencies
Employers are looking to fill positions in the national and regional markets, specifically for people who can sell to franchise groups as well as agencies. Your phone is definitely ringing if you’re a salesperson in New York, San Francisco, or Chicago with established agency relationships. We recently worked with a candidate in New York who had FIVE offers to choose from and strong agency links.
(Yet) Mobile Hiring Hasn’t Exploded
Mobile and mobile-local are still seeing strong growth, though not at the rate that many had anticipated a few years ago. Strong headcount growth is observed in verticalized industries such as travel, car, health and wellness, etc. A growing number of local search companies appear to be attempting to control a vertical market rather than a specific region. Being an expert with extensive contacts in a particular field is preferable for applicants than being a generalist.
Traditional Media Continues to Consolidate
In light of the Supermedia/DexOne merger and the recent reorganization of Hibu’s top management, resumes are coming in at a rapid pace, but there aren’t many available positions to match these qualified candidates with. In a similar vein, our newspaper clients are still cutting staff, and when they do, it’s only for digital and mobile.
Mania of Daily Deals Wanes
Only eighteen months ago, organizations offering daily specials phoned our phones nonstop, trying to fill positions as soon as possible. The demise of Groupon and LivingSocial ongoing struggles to earn a profit have caused this flood of jobs to slow to a trickle. Smaller businesses have failed, and those that haven’t aren’t seeking to grow their workforce.
Faith Leads the Way
In terms of hiring, loyalty, or what some may refer to as “Deals 2.0,” has really taken off. Businesses like Cardlytics, Cartera, Edo, and numerous more are collaborating with banks to create loyalty programs that are causing a stir in the community. These businesses are picky when it comes to hiring new employees, but the majority have strong outlooks for the future and the support of significant private equity firms.
Compared to the same period in 2023, recruiting activity has significantly increased in 2024. Although no one would characterize these as “boom times,” there has been a noticeable rise in employment by businesses when compared to Q4 or Q1 of 2022.
In terms of volume and caliber of employment offered, we grade the local search jobs market a strong “B” overall.
