CorpComms Magazine

The communications industry is bucking the recruitment downturn, with vacancies in these sectors rising by almost a quarter year-on-year, according to a report by The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and financial services firm KPMG.

Private sector PR seems to have turned a corner after a rough recession, boasting a 24 per cent rise in the number of vacancies on offer - one of the highest rates of growth of any sector over the last 12 months.

Whilst recruitment nationwide has hit a plateau, with the growth of vacancies at its weakest for a year and fewer temp roles coming on the market than at any point in the last 11 months, demand for PR seems to be riding out the recession with employers noting a dearth of candidates in this sector. 

Mike Berry, managing director of Xchange Team, recruitment specialists in media, marketing and communications, shed further light on the findings: 'Funnily enough, from this time last year until June, things were fairly static. There was work but the number of vacancies wasn't growing particularly. But since June, we've recorded a 47 per cent rise in the number of vacancies in these sectors.

'Interestingly, within the public sector and not for profit, the job situation has remained pretty static. Corporate PR has been a bit more buoyant. But by far the biggest rise has been in the agencies without a doubt. 

'Most of this new business is from clients in technology, fast moving consumer goods, retail, media and healthcare. There are simply more clients requiring PR services and there aren't enough people to keep up with demand. There are vacancies at all levels, from entry through to management, with a roughly 65:35 per cent split between permanent and freelance positions.'

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet