Senior media and audio-visual executives continue to address cost saving and business process improvement this year, and many expect to face talent and technical challenges in the next 12 months, according to the 2016 Media & AV Insights Survey report released today by TeamPeople.

According to the survey, 33% of media and AV teams plan to grow in size this year, compared to only 5% expecting to reduce headcount; 62% are expecting no change.

Larger firms are less likely to add headcount in 2016, with 28% increasing their teams compared to 33% of mid-sized firms.

Half of senior media and AV executives, 51%, reported their organization suffers from a skills shortage. Skills shortages were reported by 64% of larger firms, 43% of mid-sized firms and 37% of smaller firms.

The most in-demand skills include producers and editors at 51%, followed by video editors and graphic designers at 45% and 41% respectively.

Almost two-thirds of media and AV teams, 66%, rely on freelance workers and independent contractors for up to 90% of their workforce. And when it comes to passing a worker classification audit, 90% of survey respondents reported ‘some’ or ‘great’ confidence in passing. Seven in 10 take a proactive approach to independent contractor classification, addressing it directly and taking the possibility of an audit very seriously by investing in processes to ensure they are following the law at all times.

Almost half of media and AV organizations,48%, utilize the diversity of projects to attract independent contractors, while 43% emphasize the opportunity to collaborate with a wide range of professionals. Higher compensation is used by 35% of organizations but 37% prefer schedule flexibility as an enticement.

The survey found senior and skilled roles such as producers and editors and specialized technical roles such as video editors and graphic designers are the most in-demand.

Most in-demand skills by job type:

• Producer/editor: 51%:
• Video editor:  45%
• Graphic designer: 41%
• Project manager: 37%
• Motion graphics artist: 37%