The IPA’s annual survey of its member agencies recorded an increase in the number of agency employees working part-time or reduced hours. Part-time workers represent 6.5% of the overall employee base – an estimated 1,634 individuals, up from 1,506 in 2017, according to the report.

Of those working part-time, 86.8% are female, and only 13.2% are male.

The total number of employees in IPA member agencies declined slightly from an estimated 25,290 individuals in 2017 to 25,142 in 2018 – the first decrease since 2009.

There was also a 0.6% decline in the number of temporary workers and freelancers being used by IPA member agencies – an estimated 1,574 were recorded on 1^st September 2018, down from 1,721 in 2017.

Over half of the employee base ( 56.3%) work for creative and other non-media agencies (including full-service, direct marketing, digital and healthcare agencies), while 43.7% work for media agencies (including out-of-home and digital media specialists).

Roger Ingham, the report’s author, said: “The results of this year’s IPA Agency Census reflect the broader national economic uncertainty over the last few years. Marketing budgets have been tightening for some time, albeit with the exception of this quarter, and therefore it is unsurprising to see the industry in a state of stasis. It is also interesting to see the continued growth of media agencies, reflecting an industry trend that we have seen for a number of years.”

Methodology
The 2018 IPA Agency Census was undertaken using an online survey among 224 corporate member agencies between September and December 2018. The responses represent 79% of the estimated employed base, with weighted estimates used to extrapolate the profile of the employed base regarding age, gender and departmental function for agencies that did not respond to the survey or supplied partial returns.