The industry wide survey gathered data from nearly 1,400 respondents, before examining the uneven impact of Covid-19 across different organisation types, seniority levels, ages and roles.  Despite challenges such as remote working, reduced funds and crisis comms, the report found that the PR industry has performed strongly and increased in influence this past year.

In-house teams in the public sector were identified as the only area to experience a growth in team size during the pandemic. Nonetheless, respondents have predicted growth across all organisation types over the next 12 months, particularly among consultancies and agencies.

Mandy Pearse President of the CIPR, says, “This research provides a wealth of data and through it, tells us the many stories and experiences of the last few months. If there is a common theme it is the feeling of optimism and stature amongst practitioners, perhaps not something many would have predicted earlier in the pandemic.”

Many publicly funded organisations were unable to access the furlough schemes, with fewer than one in five public sector practitioners furloughed, compared to other types of organisations where over half of the PR workforce received support.

This positive growth has been accompanied by a dramatic rise in working hours, specifically for female practitioners. There has also been an increase in concern around mental health, which has been identified as the industry’s biggest challenge. The survey found that practitioners are five times more likely to say that their mental health has deteriorated, rather than improved, over the past 12 months

“A bright future does not mean we ignore the trauma of our past and success can be celebrated only if we recognise the hardships many of our colleagues faced. I’m delighted to see predictions of teams and client bases growing and hope efforts to improve business performance are matched with efforts to improve the experience of working in public relations,” adds Pearse.

Find the full PR in a Pandemic report here.