The average salary across the public relations profession has fallen by over £3,000 in two years, highlighting the impact of a challenging economic backdrop on the PR industry according to new data from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).
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The Institute’s latest State of the Profession report – the first since 2022 – provides industry-leading insights into the public relations profession following a survey of over 2,000 PR professionals on a range of topics including working hours, industry challenges, activities most commonly undertaken, and a series of new questions exploring training opportunities and artificial intelligence.
The survey reveals a significant and worrying gap between professionals of White ethnicity and other ethnic groups when it comes to training opportunities. White practitioners are more likely to have received training in the previous 12 months, are more likely to have agreed training needs with managers, and are less likely to have had requests for training turned down.
It also finds agencies and consultancies are less likely to have an AI policy when compared to other organisation types with professionals working in agencies and consultancies also less likely to have received training compared to those in other types of organisations.
Other key findings include that 30% of independent practitioners say their working hours have reduced in the last 12 months; 38% of PR professionals in agencies and consultancies say their organisation is growing compared to 73% in 2022; 74% of in-house professionals and 60% of agency professionals say their teams are experiencing skills shortages; the gender pay gap is £3,894, down from £7,074 in 2022; and over half of PR professionals working in-house are using AI daily or often.
CIPR president, Rachael Clamp said: “State of the Profession, once again, presents a definitive look at how public relations has evolved, adapted, and now operates. This year’s survey clearly highlights that, depending on the type of organisation you work for, working in PR looks very different from professional to professional. While this makes it challenging to speak of the PR profession as one, it does demonstrate the value and strength of a body like the CIPR to unify a diverse and broad membership.”
“The data highlights the increasingly respected and valued role of PR. However, the challenging working environment cannot be ignored as shown in the drop in average salary and a still-too-high gender pay gap. It also presents some worrying data on who gets access to training. With the majority of practitioners identifying a skills gap within their organisations, and as the economy shows signs of recovery, organisations should be investing in training opportunities and making sure those are accessible for all as well as individual practitioners committing to their own development.”
“We had an incredible response to this year’s survey and I’d like to thank everyone that took the time to share their responses.”
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