Companies in the creative field plan to increase hiring freezes in the second half of the year, according to a new survey from The Creative Group, a marketing/creative staffing division of Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE: RHI).

The survey found 25% of hiring managers at advertising agencies and marketing departments project hiring freezes, up from 10% in the same survey six months ago and 13% in a similar survey a year ago; 3% expect to reduce the size of their staff.

The survey also found 13% of hiring managers at advertising agencies and marketing departments said they will add new positions to their creative teams in the second half of 2016. Although this is up from 11% in a similar survey six months ago, it is a decrease from 21% in a year-ago survey.

The majority of respondents, 59%, said they expect to maintain staff levels and hire primarily to fill vacated roles in the next six months. In addition, 20% of advertising executives and 10% of marketing executives anticipate increasing the number of freelance staff during the remainder of the year.

Recruiting remains difficult for advertising and marketing executives, with 41% reporting it is difficult to find skilled creative professionals today. Hiring managers at small advertising agencies (20 to 49 employees) and large advertising agencies (100-plus employees) expect the greatest difficulty, with 50% of respondents in each group reporting it is somewhat or very challenging to find the talent they seek.

“Many companies are adding to their bench of marketing talent, particularly within the digital space,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “Employers seek professionals who can help build their businesses’ online presence, support year-end campaigns and strategize for the future.”

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “In which of the following areas do you expect to hire in the second half of 2016?” The top 10 responses:

• Content marketing: 18%
• Brand/product management: 18%
• Digital marketing: 18%
• Web design/production: 18%
• Marketing research: 17%
• Creative/art direction: 17%
• Print design/production: 17%
• Customer experience: 17%
• Social media: 16%
• Media services: 15%

The survey is based on 400 telephone interviews — with 200 marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 200 with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.