Sydney, Australia (August 6, 2004)—After years of declining staff numbers, the advertising and marketing sectors are back in full-scale hiring mode, according to detailed new research from Aquent.

The Aquent Salary Monitor released today shows marketing and communications businesses across the Asia Pacific region are bullish on both their revenue expectations and their hiring intentions for both permanent and contract staff.

Aquent ceo Greg Savage said the advertising industry in Sydney in particular was aggressively hiring new permanent staff "and we can expect this demand to soak up quality supply of talent".

Savage said 77% of Sydney-based advertising employers planned to increase their permanent headcount.

He said the creative sector was also hiring strongly, with a resurgence in demand for people with skills in the print environment.

Some 61% of creative employers in the region intended to increase their permanent headcount.

Demand for contractors in the sector is also strong, with 35% of employers planning to increase their use of freelance and contract staff over the next 12 months.

The Monitor is compiled from the results of 975 face-to-face interviews with marketing and communications professionals across the region and provides accurate salary information for hundreds of categories.

It shows employers in the sector plan to increase salaries on average between 2% and 5%, while some categories, such as advertising account directors, are likely to increase by up to 10%.

The Monitor shows salary levels in Sydney lead other Australian cities by about 10%, while Tokyo and Hong Kong generally had the highest salaries in the region.