US ad employment kept rolling in June, reaching highest level since 2001

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Seasonally adjusted. Expanded jobs data: AdAge.com/adjobs. Credit: Infographic by Ad Age. Photo: iStock Employment in advertising, public relations and related services increased by 2,200 jobs in June, reaching its highest level since 2001. Ad agency employment scored a slim gain of 300 jobs, but that was enough to take ad agency staffing to an all-time high. For the overall economy, U.S. employers added 209,000 jobs in June, according to the monthly employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was the 30th consecutive monthly job increase, but it was the lowest monthly employment gain since that streak began in January 2021. The job gain was slightly below economists’ expectations. The unemployment rate, based on a separate survey of households, eased to 3.6% in June from 3.7.% in May, in line with expectations. Below, Ad Age Datacenter breaks down the report—by the numbers. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2023 Ad spending, rankings and analysis for the biggest marketers and brands Enter here Advertising, PR and related services U.S. employment in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classification of advertising, public relations and related services came in at 497,500 jobs in June based on seasonally adjusted figures. That puts ad employment at its highest level since March 2001, around the time of the dot-com bubble. That earlier date is noteworthy: It marked the peak of the business cycle and first month of a recession. The ad market added 2,200 jobs in June, matching the May increase of 2,200 jobs. BLS downwardly revised the May figure from a preliminary gain of 2,600 jobs reported a month ago. This BLS jobs bucket includes ad agencies, PR agencies and related services such as media buying, media reps, outdoor advertising, direct mail and other services related to advertising. Ad agencies account for the biggest portion—about 46%—of those jobs. Ad employment weakened last fall, dropping in three of four months from September through December. But the ad business found new momentum this year, with staffing increases every month in the first half of 2023 except for March. (Investors are bullish on the business. Shares in agency companies have done well this year, with Omnicom Group's stock last week hitting an all-time high.) These ad employment gains came despite cutbacks at ad-centric tech firms and media companies. Employment in the broad BLS classification of media streaming distribution services, social networks and other media networks and content providers slumped in May to 233,400 jobs on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, its lowest level since January 2022. Staffing in the classification of web search portals and all other information services fell to 160,200 jobs in May on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, down sharply from its all-time high of 171,900 jobs last January. Become an All Access subscriber Get access to exclusive resources including Leading National Advertisers, World’s Largest Advertisers, Agency Report, Agency Review Tracker and TV Pricing Report. Click here Ad agencies U.S. ad agency employment rose to 229,900 jobs in May, up 300 jobs for the month on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, reaching an all-time high. That followed a gain of 2,400 jobs in April. BLS downwardly revised the April figure from a preliminary gain of 2,600 jobs reported a month ago. BLS reports ad agency employment on a one-month lag, so June figures aren’t yet available. But the June increase in advertising, public relations and related services employment suggests that ad agency staffing rose last month. U.S. ad agency employment May 2023 vs. previous month: +300May 2023 vs. year earlier: +8,700 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Not seasonally adjusted. Expanded jobs data: AdAge.com/adjobs. Top marketers, brands and agency ventures Ad Age Datacenter’s definitive rankings of the biggest U.S. and global advertisers and agency companies Click here Unemployment rate The U.S. unemployment rate, based on a separate survey of households, edged down to 3.6% in June from 3.7% in May. U.S. unemployment rate June 2023: 3.6% Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Seasonally adjusted. Tracking layoffs and budget cuts How brands and agencies are bracing for a recession Click here U.S. employment The nation in June added 209,000 jobs based on seasonally adjusted figures. BLS said the economy gained 306,000 jobs in May (downwardly revised from 339,000 jobs) and 217,000 jobs in April (downwardly revised from 294,000 jobs). BLS monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from recalculation of seasonal factors. Following an unprecedented loss of 20.5 million jobs in April 2020 as the nation locked down in the coronavirus pandemic, the economy has added jobs every month except for December 2020. Total U.S. employment (156.2 million jobs in June) has recovered all of its pandemic losses, topping its February 2020 pre-pandemic peak (152.4 million) to reach a new all-time high. The World Health Organization in January 2020 declared the coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency and in March 2020 classified COVID-19 as a pandemic. The group’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in May 2023 determined that “COVID-19 is now an established and ongoing health issue which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.” Ad Age Datacenter subscribers can see an expanded table showing advertising employment back to 2000 at AdAge.com/adjobs. Month-to-month change in U.S. nonfarm payrolls June 2023 vs. previous month: +209,000 Month/year Jobs increase (decrease) Jan. 2022 364,000 Feb. 2022 904,000 March 2022 414,000 April 2022 254,000 May 2022 364,000 June 2022 370,000 July 2022 568,000 Aug. 2022 352,000 Sep. 2022 350,000 Oct. 2022 324,000 Nov. 2022 290,000 Dec. 2022 239,000 Jan. 2023 472,000 Feb. 2023 248,000 March 2023 217,000 April 2023 217,000 May 2023 306,000 June 2023 209,000 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Seasonally adjusted. Subscribe to Ad Age's Datacenter for ongoing data and insights on all of the most-advertised brands.

US ad employment kept rolling in June, reaching highest level since 2001

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