Marketers are the 'most hard-working and ambitious' workers

A survey by recruitment firm Robert Walters, found that marketers are some of the most confident professionals, with 84% feeling that their work has a broader impact on the business success. Only 68% of bankers feel that their work impacts the businesses broader success.

They are also among the most hard-working with more than 24% working more than 50 hours a week and more than a quarter (27%) regularly working at the weekend, without any extra pay or recognition. In comparison only 11% of bankers work more than 50 hours a week and 16% work at weekends.

Two thirds (65%) of marketers say a lack of career progression is the main reason to move on from a role, marking them out as some of the most ambitious people in industry.

Tim Gilbert, director of marketing recruitment at Robert Walters, says: “With marketing often perceived by non-marketers as a support function and - by the same rationale - not as important as more directly revenue-generating teams, the results say a lot about how marketing professionals are valued by and within their businesses. In these challenging times, the value of marketing as a function in retaining and attracting new business is absolutely essential.

“This is borne out by what we have been seeing in the recruitment market - most of our clients are seeking people who can demonstrate discernable return on investment. In particular, we are seeing increased demand for digital experts, particularly those with SEO and/or PPC (pay per click) experience. With their rounded business acumen, classically-trained FMCG brand marketers are also sought-after for similar reasons.”

The report surveyed more than 2,000 UK workers in 11 different industries about career and professional decisions, 385 were marketers.