The North’s biggest integrated agencies are growing their teams with total headcount rising to 3,965 in a sign of renewed confidence across the sector despite economic headwinds.
And with the recent release of Prolific North’s Top 50 Integrated Agencies 2025 list, we dived into the research to look at the key trends shaping the industry.
Today, we examine how staffing levels have shifted – and what it reveals about the health of the North’s agency landscape.
READ MORE: Who are the new entrants on Prolific North’s Top 50 Integrated Agencies ranking for 2025?
READ MORE: The Prolific North Top 50 Integrated Agencies 2025 list revealed
The latest data, compiled exclusively by long-term research partners Mustard, shows that the total workforce across the Top 50 has increased from 3,842 last year to 3,965 – a modest but meaningful 3% rise that suggests agencies are investing in talent despite economic pressures.
Zooming out further, the figures reveal a striking long-term trend. A decade ago, the average headcount at a Top 50 agency was just 57. Today, it stands at 75 – highlighting the sector’s expansion and the growing scale of leading Northern agencies.
A sign of resilience – and ambition
While financial pressures persist (as revealed in our previous analysis of squeezed profits), the rise in headcount suggests agencies are prioritising growth and capability-building.
James Lawton-Hill, marketing and agency director of APS Group, said: “It is great to see an increase in headcount across the list of Northern Integrated Agencies as it shows that brands and agencies are getting the investment to recruit additional talent across the region.
“As the industry faces a number of headwinds this year around ongoing trading, I would like to hope that this trend will continue but I think agencies will also be looking at how they can grow through more efficient deployment of their people alongside AI technologies to scale capabilities whilst controlling costs. Investment in people and the talent to add value to client relationships will still be key to ensure growth levels remain, but with careful consideration as to the specific roles that will have the most impact such as creative talent and strategic insights.”
The rise in headcount comes alongside last week’s revelation that Top 50 agencies grew turnover by 14% but saw profits fall by 18%.
Robyn Mason, research manager at Mustard, said: “The agency landscape this year shows continued growth and resilience. Whilst agencies are expanding and driving revenue, sustaining profitability has become more challenging.”
For over a decade, Prolific North’s Top 50 ranking has been the definitive benchmark for integrated agencies across the North, assessing financial performance, growth, headcount, and more.
Mustard explained what goes into the list. “The rankings are determined through a comprehensive analysis of both financial and non-financial factors,” they explained. “We assess key metrics such as turnover alongside operational data such as headcount.
“Whilst some information holds more weight than others, it’s typically the better you do as an agency (for example, the higher your turnover or % growth) the higher you’ll appear on the Top 50 list.”
The full list lands on Wednesday, April 2.
