What’s the latest employment update? The answer is that it depends on who you talk to. Arnold Advertising has 18 openings; R2integrated is looking for a senior digital acocunt executive (click on their banner on this site for details); Shonali Burke, a PR consultant, told us that jobs are still out there; and, Kate Perrin, president of PRofessional Solutions, LLC, told us she’s seeing some hiring freezes, but not a significant number of layoffs.
According to Perrin, one group that has been hit has been freelancers. As organizations tighten up, she said, freelancers are among the first to feel the pain.
At The One Party and elsewhere, we heard concerns about what’s ahead, specifically for the ad community. Hard times in the auto, retail and real estate communities (among others) obviously impact the number of ads produced. Of greater concern is that consolidation will mean fewer clients for ad agencies to service. In addition, there's a concern related to organizations renewing on-going agreements - will they be renewed or renewed at a lower level.
And then there’s a new Administration to factor in. Traditionally, a change of administration means out with the old and in with the new – and that’s clearly going to happen next month. So, expect some departing Bush appointees to launch their own endeavors, while those supporting Obama’s agenda move to jobs in the administration and, in the process, open up jobs for others.
In addition, with the launch of every new administration and congress there tends to be a flurry of activity as groups seek to gain publicity for their agendas.
So, the bottom line seems to be that if your organization is focused on the marketing issues that are bread-and-butter in most communities – auto, retail and real estate – 2009 will be challenging. But, if your organization is focused on the things that make DC unique – i.e., influencing government – then there may be opportunities along many fronts.
Stay tuned. It’s a fluid situation.