Bachelor of Commerce (Digital Marketing) - Postsecondary ...

Regional
Of the total Sales, Marketing and Advertising Managers employed in Ontario, 16% are employed in the
Western region: Kitchener‐Waterloo‐Barrie (9%), London (4%), Windsor‐Sarnia (2%) and Stratford‐Bruce
Peninsula (1%).
Regional information about employment prospects for Sales, Marketing and Advertising Managers (NOC
0611) was only available for two Western Ontario areas (Kitchener‐Waterloo‐Barrie‐Guelph Area and
London‐Woodstock). In both areas, employment potential is expected to be average for the next five
years.
In London‐Woodstock, about 32% of workers in this occupation in this area are over the age of
50 (compared to 27% for all occupations in the region), however, the effects of economic
recovery on employment levels are not yet clear. The majority of these workers are employed in
wholesale trade, a sector that was impacted by recession when wholesaler‐distribution (such as
motor vehicle and parts) businesses closed.
In the Kitchener‐Waterloo‐Barrie‐Guelph area employment prospects for Sales, Marketing and
Advertising Managers were forecasted to remain average over the following few years. Because
this occupational group is large in size, retirements will produce many employment
opportunities.
Interview Findings
Current Shortages
Employer interviews provided further insights into current needs for marketing professionals within the
local labour market. Employers were presented with eight specific marketing occupations and asked to
indicate whether shortages currently existed, and the size of the shortage, using a six‐point scale from 0
(no shortage) to 5 (extreme shortage). Similar to the question about accounting professionals, the
majority of Employers were unable to respond to questions about shortages in specific marketing
occupations (Table 7). Among Employers who responded, overall mean scores highlight a significant
shortage of Digital Marketing Analysts. 30
Most employers indicated shortages for the positions of Digital Marketing Analyst, and SE Marketing
Specialist and slightly fewer for SEO Specialist and Brand Communications Manager (Figure 8). Shortages
for Digital Marketing Specialist and Product Manager were perceived by about 80% of Employer
respondents, while about 70% reported shortages for Sales Professional and General Marketing
Manager. Almost half of Employer respondents ascribed shortage ratings of 4 or 5 to both Digital
Marketing Analyst and Digital Marketing Specialist. The occupations of SEO Specialist and SE Marketing
Specialist were also considered to have significant shortages, particularly SE Marketing Specialist.
Undersupply was least likely to be identified for the position of General Marketing Manager, however,
70% of respondents still reported shortages for these positions.
30 Mean scores were calculated on the basis of all respondent rankings (from 0 to 5), excluding “Don’t know”.
LKSB Degree Program Feasibility Study • 2011
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