Reports say growth is being driven by permanent, distributed roles designed to serve international clients across markets and time zones, signalling a structural change in how the industry is rebuilding.
Hiring trends are often treated as leading indicators of business confidence, particularly in skills-intensive sectors. Recent data suggests early momentum. The RMB/BER Business Confidence Index rose to 44 points in the fourth quarter of 2025, while recruiter searches in South Africa increased nearly 9% month-on-month in October 2025, according to PNet, pointing to renewed demand for specialised capability.
The rebound, however, is not a return to pre-pandemic models.
Across global marketing and creative services, firms are increasingly abandoning office-led hiring in favour of permanent, distributed teams,” says Tanya Lilley, talent lead at Brandtech+ :“The model allows companies to scale without rebuilding high fixed-cost structures, while expanding access to senior talent across markets.”
One indicator of the scale of this shift is the volume of permanent roles now being created through these models. Brandtech+, for example, has opened as of January 2026, over 100 full-time positions across creative, strategy, account management, production, project management and technical disciplines, all designed to operate remotely across global client portfolios.
“We’re not hiring to fill desks,” says Lilley. “We’re building senior, stable teams designed around output, speed and accountability. That requires more than creative talent, it requires strong delivery capability.”
Lilley says advances in AI have accelerated this shift rather than reduced demand. “AI has sped up production, but it has also clarified where leadership, judgment and trust sit and firms are moving away from bloated agency models towards leaner, permanent teams built around experienced people.”
The shift has implications for South Africa’s labour market. “South Africa has never lacked skilled professionals,” Lilley says. “What it lacked was access to permanent global roles.”
Historically, global work required relocation or short-term outsourcing arrangements. Distributed work design now bypasses those barriers, allowing South African professionals to participate directly in international teams.
“Global demand hasn’t slowed,” says Gabrielle Gray, global head of capabilities at Brandtech+. “What’s changed is how companies source talent. Clients want skilled teams, consistency and speed. Distributed models allow that, while opening access to markets that were previously overlooked.”
Gray says the impact is economic rather than symbolic. “This is about underemployment. Many experienced professionals have operated below their capability due to limited access. Permanent global roles absorb that skill directly into the international economy.”
“As firms redesign how work is structured, 2026 is emerging as a pivotal year for experienced professionals,” explains Lilley. “Employers are hiring selectively, prioritising output and adaptability, while flexibility has become a baseline requirement rather than a benefit.”
“Taken together, the hiring rebound reflects a broader structural shift in global work design,” she adds. “Offices are no longer central to how value is created, geography is no longer a gatekeeper, and South African talent is increasingly positioned to compete on equal footing in the global market.”
“For professionals considering a move, 2026 is shaping up as a pivotal year, not because the market is booming, but because it has fundamentally changed,” she says. “The rules are different now and for those ready to adapt, the opportunity is finally designed to meet them where they are.”
