Why 2026 Marks a Turning Point for Global Marketing Talent

Global marketing firms are hiring again after a prolonged slowdown, but the rebound does not resemble a return to pre-pandemic agency life. Offices are not reopening at scale. Traditional team structures are not being rebuilt. Instead, firms are reshaping how work is designed, leaning into permanent, distributed roles that serve international clients across markets and time zones.

Recent indicators suggest early momentum. The RMB/BER Business Confidence Index rose to 44 points in the fourth quarter of 2025, while recruiter searches in South Africa increased nearly 9 per cent month on month in October 2025, according to PNet. In skills-intensive sectors such as marketing and creative services, hiring activity often signals renewed business confidence.

Yet the growth underway is structural rather than cyclical.

Across global marketing and creative services, companies are shifting away from office-led hiring in favour of permanent distributed teams.

“Firms are increasingly abandoning office-led hiring in favour of permanent, distributed teams,” says Tanya Lilley, Talent Lead at Brandtech+. “The model allows companies to scale without rebuilding high fixed-cost structures, while expanding access to senior talent across markets.”

The scale of this shift is already visible. As of January 2026, Brandtech+ has opened more than 100 full-time roles across creative, strategy, account management, production, project management and technical disciplines. All are structured to operate remotely across global client portfolios.

“We’re not hiring to fill desks,” Lilley explains. “We’re building senior, stable teams designed around output, speed and accountability. That requires more than creative talent, it requires strong delivery capability.”

Advances in artificial intelligence have accelerated the transition rather than reduced demand for experienced professionals.

“AI has sped up production, but it has also clarified where leadership, judgment and trust sit,” Lilley says. “Firms are moving away from bloated agency models towards leaner, permanent teams built around experienced people.”

The redesign of work structures carries significant implications for South Africa’s labour market.

“South Africa has never lacked skilled professionals,” Lilley says. “What it lacked was access to permanent global roles.”

Historically, international marketing work often required relocation or short-term outsourcing arrangements. Distributed work models now remove many of those barriers, allowing South African professionals to integrate directly into global teams without geographic displacement.

Gabrielle Gray, Global Head of Capabilities at Brandtech+

“Global demand hasn’t slowed,” says Gabrielle Gray, Global Head of Capabilities at Brandtech+. “What’s changed is how companies source talent. Clients want skilled teams, consistency and speed. Distributed models allow that, while opening access to markets that were previously overlooked.”

Gray argues that the impact is economic rather than symbolic.

“This is about underemployment,” she says. “Many experienced professionals have operated below their capability due to limited access. Permanent global roles absorb that skill directly into the international economy.”

As firms continue redesigning how work is structured, 2026 is emerging as a decisive year for senior professionals.

“Employers are hiring selectively, prioritising output and adaptability,” Lilley explains. “Flexibility has become a baseline requirement rather than a benefit.”

Taken together, the hiring rebound reflects a deeper recalibration of global work design. Offices are no longer central to how value is created. Geography is no longer the primary gatekeeper to opportunity. For South African professionals, access to international roles is increasingly determined by capability rather than location.

“For professionals considering a move, 2026 is shaping up as a pivotal year,” Lilley says. “Not because the market is booming, but because it has fundamentally changed. The rules are different now and for those ready to adapt, the opportunity is finally designed to meet them where they are.”