Interest in creator economy careers reaches record levels despite a significant decline in job openings during the fourth quarter of 2024, according to a new report from Creator Economy Jobs.

The quarterly hiring trends report, which analyzed 1,281 open roles across more than 600 creator economy companies, reveals a 34% decrease in job listings from Q3 to Q4 2024. This marks the first quarterly decline after two consecutive quarters of growth, during which listings had increased by 66.1% in Q2 and 11.5% in Q3.

Engineering positions dominate the sector, representing 42.3% of all openings and maintaining the top spot for the fourth consecutive quarter. Sales (12.9%) and marketing (12.6%) are the top three most in-demand functions.

Source: Creator Economy Jobs

The report indicates a sharp decline in creative (-62.7%), HR (-77.6%), and administrative (-81.1%) positions during Q4. Mid-level talent remains the most sought-after, accounting for 47.9% of all listings, followed by experienced hires at 27.8% and management roles at 19%.

The geographic distribution of opportunities shows shifts as well. While North America leads with 32.2% of openings, the U.S. market experienced a 63.8% decline in listings. Emerging markets show notable growth, with South Africa (+93.3%), Lithuania (+20.0%), and China (+5.6%) posting the largest quarterly gains.

London has emerged as the top hiring location with 5.8% of global listings, followed by San Francisco (4.9%) and Bangkok (3.5%). Traditional U.S. tech hubs New York City and Los Angeles show decreased activity, each accounting for approximately 2.2% of listings.

Source: Creator Economy Jobs

Remote work opportunities continue to decline, with fully remote positions decreasing by 23.7% to 90 listings in Q4. The majority of positions (97.7%) are full-time roles, with part-time (0.7%) and contractor positions (1.6%) representing a small fraction of opportunities.

Among individual companies, Coda Payments leads hiring activity with 124 open positions, followed by Podimo (74 roles) and ElevenLabs (67 roles). The quarter also saw a reduction in layoff activity, with five companies reporting staff reductions totaling 622 affected positions, down from 2,103 in Q3.

Recent layoffs include ByteDance (500 employees), Jellysmack (22 employees), and Tidal (100 employees, representing 25% of its workforce). Meta and Spotter also conducted layoffs during Q4, though the number of affected employees remains undisclosed.

The employment trends report shows changing hiring preferences, with companies increasingly seeking candidates with specialized content licensing, syndication, and localization skills. Traditional companies are integrating more content creators into their workforces as brand ambassadors and marketing strategists.

The data suggests a shift toward traditional employment arrangements, with 97.7% of listings being full-time positions. However, the report predicts an increase in fractional and project-based work as the global economy moves toward a majority freelance model by 2027.

Looking ahead to 2025, the report anticipates continued growth in the creator economy, with new entrants and established players expected to expand their teams. The analysis also forecasts greater demand for niche specialists and increased integration of creative talent within traditional corporate structures.

The full report is available here.