Salaries hold steady in 2025 as industry navigates political and economic shifts
Data published by recruiter Reuben Sinclair suggests that the market for salaries in public relations and communications is flat except for entry-level roles where the industry is adopting living wage standards.
Last year, the market for public relations jobs and salaries experienced three distinct phases, reflecting market sentiment and the broader economy. The PR & Comms 2025 UK Salary and Market Guide, published by Reuben Sinclair, tells the story of these changes.
The Reuben Sinclair PR & Comms 2025 UK Salary and Market Guide
The year began cautiously, with economic uncertainty dominating business decisions. All focus was on the outcome of the coming UK election. The industry experienced a wave of redundancies and a notable pullback in hiring investments.
The mood music changed following the UK election at the end of July. The transition from a Conservative to a Labour administration brought political clarity and renewed confidence. Agencies and in-house teams experienced an uptick in new business activity and investment.
A sense of optimism and recovery suggested that the industry was ready to move forward and grow, but it was short-lived.
The new Labour Government’s Autumn Budget announcement increased National Insurance contributions and ignited speculation regarding changes to employment rights legislation. Agencies and in-house teams once more adopted a measured approach.
So where are we now? There is no doubt we’re in an employer’s market.
The stop-go, stop-go nature of the market shows the industry’s resilience and ability to respond to changing circumstances, but it also highlights its fundamental challenge as a sector tied to economic and political developments.
According to Reuben Sinclair, hiring is currently focused on replacement and strategic roles such as data, insight and growth. Following the change of government, the corporate affairs market is strong, with expertise in policy and government relations.
This is consistent with the Wadds Inc. Jobs in PR dataset, which has already seen a notable growth in AI roles in 2025.
This focus by employers has an inevitable impact on candidate behaviour. Practitioners are cautious about making moves. The 'last in, first out' concern leads many to prioritise security over potentially rewarding but uncertain opportunities elsewhere.
The result is that salaries in public relations and communications have been stable in 2024. This is likely to continue until the economy picks up. Reuben Sinclair notes that industry leaders are more optimistic for the year ahead than 12 months ago.
A PRCA Pulse Check in January reported that 22% of its members felt confident about their organisation. A similar proportion (23%) expected 1-3% growth in 2025.
PRCA Pulse Check - January 2025
One area of the market is showing movement. Reuben Sinclair reports that the most significant changes are occurring at the junior level. Organisations are increasingly concentrating on early-career roles, acknowledging the importance of establishing strong foundational teams.
There is a growing industry commitment to align starting salaries with living wage standards.
The Real Living Wage in the UK is £24,570 per year (£12.60 per hour) and £27,000 per year (£13.85 per hour) in London. The National Living Wage for people aged 21 and over is £22,308 per year (£11.44 per hour) and will increase to £23,809 per year (£12.21 per hour) in April.
This is a meaningful and welcome step toward making the industry more accessible and competitive in attracting new talent.
The Reuben Sinclair PR & Comms 2025 UK Salary and Market Guide is a useful benchmarking tool. It contains salary data for agency and in-house roles across various markets and levels.
Stephen Waddington is a non executive director of Reuben Sinclair.
