Public relations job market stable amid cautious UK economic optimism

Job openings at major UK public relations agencies remain steady at around 100 for the sixth month, while broader economic indicators suggest the market is due for an upturn.

Economic data is difficult to find to help understand the health of the corporate communications and public relations market.

This year we've been experimenting to see if we can model the market using job ads at the largest agencies in the UK as a proxy. We're building a dataset of job data that we share monthly via an email newsletter and the Jobs in PR website.

The model will undergo its first major test as the UK economy grows again. For the sixth month, job openings among the largest agencies in the UK held steady at around 100. This stability is a positive indicator, as when the market does turn, we can expect to see an immediate effect in hiring data.

The UK employment rate was estimated at 74.5% from April to June, below estimates from a year ago, but increased in the latest quarter. Wage growth fell from 5.8% to 5.4% during the corresponding period.

The growth in gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.9% in the three months to May, compared with the three months to February 2024, is a promising sign. We’re still waiting for data for June.

GDP growth was largely driven by a 1.1% increase in services output, another important indicator of a potential turnaround in the public relations market.

While our Job data in PR remains flat, broader economic indicators suggest a potential upturn. Growth in GDP and services output points to cautious optimism.

My thanks to Hard Numbers for funding the project and support with data analysis.

We'll continue to report on the situation each month. You can sign up to the newsletter and access our monthly reports via the Job in PR website.