Number of employees declined by more than 14% to 24,963 last year, with fall greatest among younger workers
AI is indeed coming – but there is also evidence to allay investor fears
UK advertising agencies had their biggest annual exodus of staff last year, led by younger workers, as artificial intelligence tools threaten to replace workers and force the industry to cut jobs and costs.
Staff numbers at creative agencies, which are facing acute pressure from the rollout of AI tools that reduce or even replace the need for agency staff, fell more than 14% in 2025.
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), which has been reporting on staffing in the UK ad industry since 1959, said it was the biggest year-on-year slump since it started separately reporting staff numbers at creative and media agencies in 2004.
