The latest report from Clutch says 39% of small businesses will add sales and marketing employees.
This data point underscores the importance of sales and marketing in today’s digital commerce. You must optimize websites, social media channels and eCommerce sites to make it happen. And you need sales and marketing employees to do the heavy lifting.
Some small businesses have already created a digital presence. And the job of sales and marketing generally goes to in-house staff. This job often goes to employees with the necessary skill sets or to someone learning on the job. But remember how important these positions figure in the company’s growth.
Clutch Senior Content Developer and Marketer Riley Panko says these positions will help small businesses acquire and retain customers thus meeting customer demand.
Clutch carried out the survey for the report with the participation of 529 U.S. small business owners and managers. The survey defines small businesses as having limited revenue and between 1 and 500 employees.
The majority or 54% had 1 to 10 employees, with 24% saying they employed 11 to 50 workers.
2019 Recruiting Trends
Beyond sales and marketing, 36% of small businesses said they will be hiring customer service employees, followed by 32% in IT, 30% in production, and 28% cross-functional workers.
This indicates small businesses are willing to hire in 2019, but in the report, 51% said they are likely to hire. The remaining organizations said they are unlikely to hire (29%) or they are unsure (20%).
When they are ready to hire, business owners said 74% of the workers will be full-time employees, with 40% part-time and 17% as paid interns.
The data is much different than 10 years ago when the financial crisis hit. Part-time positions were the norm back then. Today’s tight labor market is forcing businesses to lock in employees with full-time positions along with perks and good salaries.
Entry Levels
Hiring senior-level and executive positions are quite expensive for small businesses, especially those with few employees.
In 2019 more than half or 56% of small businesses said they will be hiring entry-level positions.
When hiring entry level positions, companies must look for candidates who can adapt and grow.
In the report, Tricia Lucas, owner of Lucas Select Inc., said “You want to find the right skill set, but you also need to find that person who’s capable of wearing multiple hats. “Then, that person, when they are wearing those multiple hats, may evolve to take a bit of a different path as that organization starts to grow.”
Only 14% of businesses said they would be hiring someone in an executive position, followed by 23% looking for senior-level candidates.
Image: Clutch