The Knock-on Effects of the Great Resignation

IAB Canada held several Council meetings this week to discuss the most pressing issues faced by the respective industry stakeholder groups. Across all discussions we heard a consistent theme – all roads lead to talent. Conversations that started with inflation of media costs, privacy challenges or increasing complexity of the cookieless ecosystem all ended with deeply concerning remarks around the state of talent and how the great resignation continues to impact all areas of every business. 

IAB Canada is finalizing the Barometer Study on the Currency of Talent and has already uncovered significant takeaways that are shaping the way in which our industry must plan for the future. Among the preliminary findings: 

  • a staggering 73% of respondents citing hiring and general talent shortages as the first or second priority; 
  • over 35% rank increased salary demands as first or second concern and, 
  • over 17% of respondents ranked mental health issues and burn-out as their number one priority this year. 

As IAB Canada prepares to release the study, we are also planning to hold a roundtable discussion with representation from each area of the online advertising sector to further explore the challenges that talent shortages present. Early probes show a knock-on effect that ultimately raises the cost of doing online advertising business. While the recent IAB Canada Media Inflation study touches on rising cost of talent, we feel there is much more to this story. Additionally, we have decided to move forward again, with our industry Salary Survey in the coming weeks that will explore a full spectrum of roles. We look forward to delving in. 

If you would like to be invited participate in the roundtable discussion, please reach out to committees@iabcanada.com.