The Comms Jobs Market – 2026

Vicki Marinker:

If you’re a comms person asking yourself ‘is it me, or is the job market absolutely bonkers at the moment?’, let me assure you: it’s not you.

Whilst you can’t fix the market, you can absolutely fix your approach to it.

Specialist recruiters in our market publish helpful market updates on a regular basis. I watched the job market for 23 years from their side of the desk. I thought it would be interesting to share with you what I see now, as a career coach working with comms people, and understanding both the candidate and the hirer’s perspectives.

The market reality

After a sluggish 2025 with barely any hiring growth, 2026 is showing green shoots. But it’s uneven, with new and ongoing geopolitical instability, and the ever-increasing cost of living and doing business.

Roles exist, but the competition is fiercer than it’s been in years. Corporate restructures and redundancies put a lot of experienced people into the market at the same time.

Teams are leaner, which means fewer roles and higher expectations for each one. I’m seeing scope creep in job descriptions and bizarre skill combinations.

In this market, people who feel relatively secure in their positions, don’t want to risk moving on. So there’s less movement at the senior end of the market, and so fewer positions to fill.

Having said that, the specialist recruiters are feeling more optimistic and are handling more vacancies than they were six months ago. But the candidate experience is hit and miss. Recruiters are overwhelmed with candidates, and are operating with lean teams themselves.

AI and automation in the application process creates a whole new layer of frustrating, opaque rejections. Ghosting is still a massive problem.

Salary conversations are harder too. So many companies waste everyone’s time by not disclosing salaries upfront. I’ve seen salaries at levels I recognise from 10 years ago. People are accepting less than their value, because waiting for the perfect offer feels risky.

What’s still working

A significant proportion of mid-to-senior comms roles are filled before they’re ever made public. And even when they are advertised, a referral from your network beats a cold application every time.

Three things worth doing right now

1. Reframe your CV around business outcomes, not comms outputs. Hiring managers want to see how your work has impact. “Led internal communications programme” is not enough. “Reduced attrition by 12% through a restructure communications strategy” is. I really do understand how hard it is to prove your ROI in comms, so if that data doesn’t exist, think about how you evaluated each campaign internally and use that.
2. Get strategic on LinkedIn.Identify the 10-20 organisations you want to work with/at, and find a genuine reason to be in their orbit. Connect with comms and comms-adjacent people in those organisations and start conversations, leading with curiosity. This is the start of your referral strategy.
3. Stop waiting to feel ready. The comms professionals I see making progress right now are the ones networking before they need to, having conversations before roles are live, and treating their job search like a personal comms campaign.

The market is tough but not impossible. Approach it with a clear strategy, a defined message, and a well-targeted audience. Just like you would do at work.

If you found this helpful, please reshare/pass it on to a comms friend who’s in the thick of it.

Cheering you on.

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Vicki Marinker is a candid career coach for comms professionals ready to rediscover their mojo. Former comms recruiter and PR consultant. Get hired, promoted or change careers with confidence.