Agencies still want senior talent. They just aren’t in a hurry to put it on the payroll.
Tatiana Laudati, Marketing and Communications Strategist at TLA Consulting, sees that shift from the freelance side of the table. I spoke with her earlier as we were researching industry salaries for Communicate’s 2026 GCC Advertising & Marketing Salary Survey, and she laid out how leaner core teams, a crowded consultant market and inflated expectations of AI are reshaping who gets hired, for how long and at what rate.
Are agencies leaning more on freelancers and consultants instead of permanent hires? And is that strategic, or simply cheaper and lower-risk?
Yes. Agencies are increasingly leaning on freelance and consulting talent, and I think it is a combination of agility, cost management and the need to respond to a more fluid market environment.
Permanent teams are becoming leaner, with agencies building around a smaller core and bringing in specialist talent when they need it. There is less appetite to hire ahead of demand when visibility can change quickly, so agencies are increasingly scaling teams around confirmed opportunities.
Are you seeing a consistent picture on hiring across agencies, or very different approaches?
There are differences between agencies, but the broader direction is consistent. Teams are becoming leaner across both large global networks and independent agencies, with hiring increasingly tied to confirmed client work rather than anticipated demand.
The preference is to maximize internal resources first and then bring in freelancers or consultants around specific projects or capabilities. This allows agencies to remain agile and manage their cost base while still accessing experienced talent when required.
I’m also seeing greater appetite for fractional expertise. It existed before, but there is now greater acceptance of bringing senior expertise into a business for a defined number of days or around a particular business need, rather than committing immediately to permanent headcount.
Has AI changed the type or volume of project work coming your way?
AI is changing how work gets done, particularly around research, content production and some elements of execution. But I haven’t seen it eliminate the need for senior marketing expertise.
There is also an educational element to my work now. AI has received so much positive attention that there can be an assumption it can replace expertise altogether. Part of my role is helping clients understand what can genuinely be automated or done faster and more efficiently with AI, and where human judgment, experience, creativity and strategic thinking remain critical.
If anything, there is greater pressure on experienced marketers to bring clear strategic thinking and demonstrate impact quickly. When budgets and teams are under scrutiny, clients want to see a clear connection between the work being done and the business outcome it is contributing to.
Are project scopes growing while budgets and timelines stay the same or shrink? How has that changed the way you price or accept work?
There is definitely pressure to deliver more within tighter timeframes. Projects are also becoming more immediate, with less visibility further down the pipeline and less ability to plan months ahead. That means agencies and consultants need to be more reactive and agile.
I’m also seeing more demand for channel-specific and executional work — paid media, social, content, PR and CRM, for example — rather than longer-term strategy, positioning and planning engagements. That reflects the current focus on what can be activated and measured in the near term.
It has made scope and prioritization even more important. I’m very clear upfront about what can realistically be delivered within a particular timeframe and budget, and where the greatest commercial value can be created.
When you’re negotiating a new project, who has more leverage now, you or the agency?
I would say the balance has shifted toward the agency. There is a much larger pool of experienced talent available, including a growing number of highly experienced professionals now available for freelance and consulting work following changes to permanent roles across agencies and in-house teams.
That creates more competition for a relatively limited number of opportunities. It also means that having a strong track record and a clearly defined value proposition is more important than ever.
Are agencies using freelance work as a trial run for permanent roles, or is freelance becoming a permanent category of its own?
I see freelance and consulting increasingly becoming a permanent category in its own right rather than simply a route into permanent employment.
There is a significant pool of experienced professionals who can bring senior expertise without requiring a permanent headcount commitment. At the same time, fractional work is becoming more established, with businesses accessing senior expertise directly for a defined period or number of days.
Is a smaller core team backed by flexible outside talent a long-term strategy, or a short-term cost decision that will reverse once things stabilize?
At the moment, I think it is primarily a response to the current environment rather than something we can confidently call a long-term structural shift.
The focus across the market is very much short to medium term. Agencies and brands are having to respond to changing circumstances and priorities, so flexibility is extremely valuable. Keeping teams lean and scaling around confirmed opportunities gives agencies room to adapt.
Whether that becomes the permanent model will depend on how the market develops.
Has the freelance and consultant market become more crowded, and what has that done to rates?
Yes, without question. There is now competition not only between established freelancers and consultants, but also from highly experienced people who are now available for freelance and consulting work following changes to permanent roles across agencies and in-house teams.
That has increased competition for projects and put some downward pressure on rates. When more people are competing for the same opportunities, clients naturally have more negotiating power.
It has also made the sales cycle more competitive. Being experienced is no longer enough; you need to be very clear about the problem you solve and the value you can deliver quickly.
Where is this heading? Will more agencies rely on flexible, project-based talent long-term?
I think flexible talent will remain an important part of the agency model, but I would be cautious about predicting exactly what the long-term model will look like.
Right now, agencies are optimizing for agility. They are keeping permanent teams lean, using internal resources as efficiently as possible and adding specialist talent around confirmed client requirements.
There is also much more emphasis on demonstrating results quickly. When clients are scrutinizing budgets, agencies need to be able to show tangible progress and justify the investment. That naturally favors teams and talent who can come in, understand the challenge and start delivering quickly.
The bigger shift I’m seeing is away from planning too far ahead. The market is moving quickly, so agencies are increasingly building around what they know they need today and in the near term, rather than committing too heavily to what they think they might need six or twelve months from now.
How does your pay compare as the market tightens? Communicate’s 2026 GCC Advertising & Marketing Salary Survey maps what agencies and brands across the region are paying, role by role and level by level. Read the full findings HERE
