The public relations sector employs c.3,000 people of whom two-thirds are women, according to research carried out for the Public Relations Institute of Ireland.

The comprehensive study, carried out by Amárach Research, states that just over half of PR professionals work in-house in organisations, 25% in the public sector and 27% in the private sector. Two out of five are employed in PR agencies while one in ten are self-employed. Almost half of respondents earn between €45,000 and €80,000.

The PRII invited its 1,000 members to take part by accessing a link to the survey in March 2019.  The questionnaire screened out anyone whose role did not involve ‘remits for public relations, including for example, public affairs, media relations and/or communication with internal stakeholders’. PRII says that 471 responses were received.

PRII president Padraig McKeon commented: “The research shows an increasing recognition of the value of effective professional communications across a range of sectors, with growth in practice areas such as public affairs, community, and internal communications. 

“There are also increasing demands for communication specialists in finance, technology, healthcare and agri-food. Through the study, we can also see that public relations has a highly educated workforce committed to keeping pace with the fast-changing media and corporate environment by investing in continuous professional development. Of those surveyed, 82% have a qualification relevant to their work and over half spent time on training or upskilling in the past year.”

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The interesting gender ratio, with women far outnumbering men  and also occupying most senior positions, isn’t absolute, as a larger proportion of the men in the business are filling senior positions. 

Overall though, women outnumber men in every salary band, including the top salary levels, with the numbers earning more than €100,000 annually breaking down as 56% women and 44% men.

Based on the results and on changing trends in the business flagged in the survey, the PRII is encouraging young people to come forward to the profession, especially graduates from several disciplines. 

PRII chief executive Martina Byrne stated: “Overall the findings are very positive and should encourage graduates from a range of disciplines to enter the profession.  The work is varied, the range of organisations is wide, it’s well paid and there are life-long opportunities for women and men. In fact, to ensure a balanced gender mix in the future we need more male entrants.”

•The PRII Census Report can be accessed here.

Photo: Padraig MeKeon (centre) with Martina Byrne and Gerard O’Neill of Amárach Research. (Pix: Iain White/Fennell Photography)