Too young, too costly, digital talent can't meet demand

The demand for digital people is high and it's a well-paid profession. So why is there such a lack of digital supply?

"Talent is too expensive and candidates are too young," says Sean de de Cuirteis, regional director of MEC. "There is never a shortage of junior digital candidates - mid level and senior candidates are more difficult to find."

Pouring adspend into traditional media is expensive, so the media industry is looking at digital instead. CR-Nielsen reported in April this year that online advertising in China had grown 52.7 per cent in the first quarter, compared to the same period in 2009, while PricewaterhouseCoopers announced that Singapore will see a 15.6 per cent annual growth in online adspend this year.

But despite the increasing volumes of cash heading for the digital industry, staffing in the field in most Asian countries is perilous. "China is definitely at the top of the list of countries with skill shortages, but this is an issue across the majority of Asian markets," de Cuirteis says.

Jason Kuperman, vice-president of Omnicom digital for Asia-Pacific, India, Middle East and Africa, says the best digital people flock to countries that have a vibrant digital industry, leaving the weaker markets with little to choose from.

"The markets where digital is big have a lot of people who are good, but also a lot of people who just talk a good game without the real experience or skills to back it up," Kuperman says.

By de Cuirteis' definition, a digital veteran has a minimum of five years digital experience in client and project management. Kuperman says an experienced digital person should "have been around long enough in digital to see things become the next Twitter."

Both agency heads agree that retaining talented digital staff is a challenge. There will always be temptations for more money and better job titles as digital employees find they can 'shop' for the agency that best fits their needs.

"Some digital people exude a certain sense of entitlement beyond competitive wages and career opportunities," says de Cuirteis. "More and more agencies are realising that they have to offer more than wages to keep digital staff."

He stresses the need for agencies to emphasis job fulfilment and build a clear career path of advancement for their employees.

Kuperman also suggests agencies should look from within before outsourcing for talent, arguing that it is perfectly logical to start recruiting for digital talent among traditional media people.

"They should stick to the old adage of 'training, training and more training'," he adds, particularly as different agencies approach digital differently and, within them, skill-set or client experience may be transferable, but culture and agency structure may not be.

Interestingly, de Cuirteis says agencies should consider graduates with research, maths, science, economics, and accounting backgrounds as they tend to have a good foundation for digital roles.

Kuperman also points out that young people are not trained to look at digital separately. "They understand the fundamental values that drive an internet trend beyond the immediate buzz or hype," he explains.

Digital is still a relatively new industry, with even the most sophisticated and mature markets only having been around for 15 years. And for the burgeoning markets of Asia, the lack of a digital talent pool has not hit crisis point, at least, not yet.

"It isn't an immediate problem in markets at early stages of digital development, but watch this space," de Cuirteis says.

This article was originally published in the 1 July 2010 issue of Media.