The Heads of Marketing Survey 2003, compiled by NOP Business and communications management firm Jaywing, found that 38% of department heads do not have the budget to recruit marketers of the calibre they require.
The research found that 40% of senior marketers surveyed are struggling to recruit marketing professionals for vacant posts. Data analysts are said to be the most in demand, followed by database marketers.
Almost half of senior direct marketers questioned said they had failed to invest sufficiently in training, while 53% identified a lack of support from the industry.
Universities were accused of not doing enough to equip graduates with the right types of skills for specific marketing functions by 37% of those questioned.
The salary demands of skilled professionals was also said to be a problem, with more than 38% of marketers saying they did not have the budget to hire people with the required skills for the jobs on offer.
Only 17% of the marketers questioned believed the performance of direct marketing would be affected as a direct result of the skills shortage.
Martin Boddy, managing partner of Jaywing, said: "Tightening budgets and a hardening economic climate mean that firms are not only struggling to find the right skills but also to afford them."
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