US Ad Jobs Remained Flat Throughout the First Half of 2025

Under pressure from tariffs, industry consolidation, and the rise of artificial intelligence, employment across advertising agencies has held steady throughout the first half of 2025.

Preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday show jobs at U.S. ad agencies increased to 220,500 positions in June, up slightly from the 220,400 reported in May, on a seasonally adjusted basis.

While June’s job count is 0.1% larger than January’s total, it’s down more than 3% from the April 2023 high of 228,000 positions.

Staff-level jobs at marketing and advertising firms have been hit the hardest by AI, according to Live Data Technologies. Still, a segment of independent and private equity-backed agencies continue to hire in earnest.

Overall, U.S. employment in advertising, public relations, and other related services climbed to 495,400 in July, up from 492,600 jobs the previous month—a 0.6% increase.