Close-Up: Live Issue - Is advertising's workforce too young?

Advertising is dominated by the under-40s but is this harming its effectiveness, Noel Bussey asks.

The advertising workforce is dominated by people under 40, while hardly anyone continues their career into their fifties.

These are key findings of last week's IPA 2005 Census Report, the annual analysis of the employment base in the ad industry.

Detailed figures reveal 48.1 per cent of the industry is under 30 and 33.4 per cent is between 31 and 40 years old. Just 5 per cent of the workforce is older than 50.

Commentators argue that advertising isn't the long career it used to be: many leave the industry after a relatively short career. They also point to a prevalent ageism that sees older employees passed over for top jobs or forced out of the industry altogether.

Advertising's promotion structure is rapid for talented people early in their careers, but slows dramatically at middle-management level. The few senior positions are filled by a select few who have made the right impressions - and contacts - early in their careers.

'There is a glass ceiling,' Gary Stolkin, the managing partner at Stolkin + Partners, says. 'Many people become disillusioned after seeing their career reach its peak at a relatively young age, while also watching younger people pass over them for top jobs.'