The Marketing sector continues to evolve as organisations place greater emphasis on digital capability, brand performance and measurable impact. This 2026 Salary Guide benchmarks market activity from 2025, highlighting the marketing skills most in demand, current salary ranges and how employers are competing to attract and retain experienced marketing professionals across Ireland

Marketing Job Market Outlook 2026: Digital Skills, Brand Performance and Talent Demand

Salary Increases Driven by Specialists

Marketing salaries are increasing across the board as the value of marketers to business—driving profit, growth, and engagement—continues to be recognised. We are seeing a frequency in performance-related bonuses offered with base salaries to highlight marketing impact and ROI. While there has been only a marginal increase for junior positions due to an oversupply of candidates, the market is very different for analytical, digital, and performance marketers with strong industry experience. These profiles are in high demand, giving candidates bargaining power and driving salaries upward. Senior leadership rewards remain very strong, with compensation varying by industry, remit, and organisation size, with Dublin leading on salary demands.

Automation & Digital Fluency

Automation and digital fluency are must-have requirements for 2026. Ensuring confidence in utilising automation tools for content, analytics, customer engagement, and reporting is becoming essential for employers. Providing leading MarTech/Automation tools for marketers in the workplace showcases a company's investment in the marketing function and its appreciation for the value that marketing delivers.

Demand for Specialisation

A continued focus on digital, e-commerce, and performance marketing specialisations will flow into 2026. We see on-going demand for "catch-all" digital marketers at a junior (1-3 years) level, but the demand then segments, focusing on specialisation of skills. This includes SEO, Performance and Paid Media, Social & Content, CRM & Email, and E-Commerce Specialists. This trend continues into management positions. In addition, we see a growing trend in analytics to improve performance and user experience, with roles such as marketing, insights, and growth analysts becoming more common.

Hybrid Remains the Standard

Due to its digital nature, marketing functions remain hybrid. We expect to see fewer fully remote job offerings as we move into 2026; however, a hybrid model with a minimum of 2-3 days per week working from home will remain the standard expectation.