WPP Media's job ads fall 41% as Publicis posts more roles than Google

By James Dore · 2026-10-07

The numbers

Publicis Groupe advertised 105 unique go-to-market roles across Australia and New Zealand in the 90 days to 22 September 2026, up 24% on the prior quarter, ranking it eighth among all ANZ employers, not just advertising firms, every employer tracked.^[1] That placed it between Microsoft at 108 roles and Google at 102.^[3]

Ricky Pearl, founder and chief executive of Pointer Strategy, said the firm "ranked eighth overall of all firms, not just advertising, with 105 jobs, more than one a day." Pearl said the figure "was 24% up on the previous quarter and put them between Microsoft, which advertised 108 roles, and Google, which advertised for 102 roles."

WPP Media ANZ advertised 37 unique go-to-market roles over the same period, down 41% quarter on quarter, the steepest fall among the agency groups listed.^[1] The other groups trailed Publicis well behind: Omnicom Media Group (OMG) at 49 roles (down 5%), Dentsu at 38 (up 2%), Havas at 36 (up 10%) and Spark Foundry at 31 (up 2%).^[1]

Where the split comes from

The 68-role gap between Publicis and WPP Media across a single quarter has a paper trail behind it. WPP's global revenue less pass-through costs, the figure that strips out media billings to show what the group actually earns, fell 5.9% like-for-like in the year ended 31 December 2025, according to its annual report filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).^[2] WPP cut more than 335 ANZ roles across 2025, representing over 12% of its local workforce.^[3]

WPP's ANZ leadership structure spent much of 2026 in transition. Jon Cook departed VML and Eric Campbell was named his replacement, while Jessica Farrell joined as ANZ chief people officer. An organisation that installs a new people chief during a contraction is still working out where it settles.

What 45,000 job ads tell you

The Pointer Index tracked 45,864 unique go-to-market job advertisements posted by 17,246 direct-employer companies across ANZ in the same 90-day window.^[1] Publicis's 105 roles amount to roughly one in every 437 ads in that market, a small slice that carries an outsized read on intent relative to its peers.

Job-advertisement counts serve as a proxy for labour demand, not a direct headcount measure. A single vacancy may be posted more than once, and one ad can represent multiple hires. The Pointer Index counts unique ads from direct employers, filtering out recruiters, which tightens the read without eliminating noise. The direction and magnitude of change across groups, Publicis up nearly a quarter and WPP Media down more than two-fifths, is harder to dismiss than any single absolute number.

The Australian read

For ANZ media buyers and agency staff, the hiring gap maps onto business momentum in a market where account wins and losses tend to drive headcount within one to two quarters. Publicis's positioning between Microsoft and Google in a broad employer ranking covering 17,246 companies suggests it is building capacity ahead of anticipated work. WPP Media's 37 roles reflect a group that shed more than 335 local roles last year and has yet to replace them.^[3]

The next Pointer Index edition will show whether Publicis maintains that pace or whether the hiring is front-loaded. WPP Media's figure to watch is whether it recovers from 37 or falls further as its leadership restructure beds down.

James Dore

James Dore is Strategy Director at Bushnote, a leader in SEO and AEO in Australia. He writes on search, AI and the technology decisions shaping government and industry.