Optimism for 2024 prevails among sales & marketing professionals 

Sales 

Despite a peak in sales vacancies in June and October, 2023 showed a slight decrease compared to the previous year. However, demand for sales professionals remains high, especially for positions such as Sales Assistant and Inside Sales. 

A notable trend is the concentration of demand for these professionals in the Flemish part of the country. As many as 87% of all advertised sales vacancies focused on Flanders, with Antwerp leading the way (21%), followed by West Flanders (20%), East Flanders (17%), Flemish Brabant (13%), and Brussels (9%).  

When analysing the sectors, we see that the demand for sales talent is mainly concentrated in the following industries: IT, computer software, engineering, HR and recruitment, financial services, industrial automation, environmental services, biotechnology and consumer electronics. 

On average, sales professionals stay with the same employer for 1.9 years. Viktorien: "To address the shortage of sales talent, we see the IT sector in particular increasingly targeting entry-level professionals and attracting them with attractive salary packages." 

Marketing 

Within marketing, we observed a decrease in the number of vacancies in 2023 compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, certain periods, particularly in February and October, showed notable spikes in demand for marketing talent, especially for positions such as Marketing Assistant and Digital Marketer. 

The vast majority of marketing vacancies (90%) are in Flanders and Brussels. Brussels takes the lead here with 24%, followed by Antwerp with 18%, West Flanders with 15%, East Flanders with 14% and Flemish Brabant with 13%.  

Within the marketing world, loyalty to one's employer does not seem so obvious. On average, they stay with the same employer for only 1.2 years. Walters People's research also shows that 64% of marketing professionals surveyed plan to change jobs in 2024. "For young marketing talent, digital innovation is paramount, as is the urge to be able to actively participate in projects to actively contribute to the future vision of the organisation where they are employed. Flexibility and gaining experience with various employers are also high on the wish list of marketing specialists," Viktorien explains. 

Despite 75% of advertised marketing vacancies offering a permanent contract, most professionals are open to a temporary job within marketing, just because of that flexibility. 

2024 salary forecasts within sales and marketing 

In terms of salaries, Walters People does not foresee any significant changes in 2024. Viktorien: "Although 46% of surveyed professionals hope to receive a salary increase next year, we rather expect salaries within sales and marketing to remain fairly stable, with possibly a slight increase for the most in-demand positions." 

2024 salaries for the most in-demand positions within sales & marketing:  

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