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The Official PR Salary & Bonus Report 2010 Edition |
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In the 2010 edition -
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February, 2010
Spring Associates, Inc., public relations executive search and consulting firm has published its compensation findings in the 14th annual corporate communications and public relations compensation study called The Official PR Salary & Bonus Report© - 2010 Edition. Salary, bonus and other data are compiled and analyzed using Spring Associates private database containing detailed job information on more than 22,000 credentialed PR corporate and agency professionals nationwide. The data is collected on a daily basis from direct contact between PR professionals and Spring Associates. Here are some informational snippets from the Report…. Salaries The eight key* metro cities (*those with the greatest number of PR professionals), New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, Washington DC, and San Francisco as a group, posted an average salary decrease of 9.6% vs last year’s increase of 2.5 % for PR firms, and an average decrease of 11.4% vs the previous year’s increase of 2.2% for corporate communications departments. The five major regions of the country - northeast, southeast, midwest, southwest and west, (excluding the 8 key metro cities), reveals that corporate communications average salaries were down 9.9% vs an increase last year of +2.1%, while PR agency average salaries decreased by 11.2% vs last year’s +2.4%. Salary Title Highlights (percentage change) Bonuses (substantial decreases across the board) PR Agency Hourly Avg. Regional Billing Rate (%) Highlights (all titles) Thoughts and Observations In 2008 those people with jobs didn’t also have to suffer from reduced base salaries. Even though we don’t officially track PR job losses in a given year, our communication with PR pros in both corporations and agencies last year revealed a much greater loss of jobs in 2009 than in 2008. Unlike 2008, in 2009 PR workers had to face layoffs, lower base salaries and greatly reduced bonuses, if any at all. Those companies and firms that are hiring, tend to fall into the healthcare, pharmaceutical, consumer and high tech/social media specialties. In general, they are looking for people with more than the usual amount of experience at lower than previous pay levels – as is reflected in the 2010 edition of The Official PR Salary & Bonus Report. There is much uncertainty about the impending effects of Obamacare and what benefits PR workers can expect from their employers going forward. Employers are asking employees for a greater percentage portion of their salary to cover spiraling healthcare costs. These days it’s becoming more common for our corporate candidates to report to human resources, marketing and sometimes legal departments. Many more experienced PR pros are increasingly hesitant to accept positions that report to these departments rather than directly to the C-suite. Social media is starting to make its presence felt in the media relations area, but is not commanding the higher base salaries as a stand-alone discipline as yet. Most search assignments tend to bundle social media in with high tech and different aspects of media relations. Not surprisingly during these recessionary times, PR workers are being required to work longer hours, sometimes fewer days at the same title with no increase in pay. Continuing the trend from 2009, PR pros will need to be an exact match to job specifications in the area of specialties and experience in order to be hired in 2010 – and possibly for the foreseeable future. # # # |
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