PR sector contributes £7.1bn to UK economy

The report estimates that the sector directly employs more than 52,000 people, while wider economic activity supports 95,464 jobs

The UK public relations sector contributes £7.1 billion to the economy and supports more than 95,000 full-time equivalent jobs, according to a report commissioned by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and produced by CBI Economics.

The report, Beyond Communications: Understanding the economic contribution of the UK public relations sector, concludes that public relations should be viewed as a strategic business capability, reflecting its role across communications, public affairs, stakeholder engagement, reputation management, crisis preparedness, investor relations and strategic advisory services.

Report measures economic impact

Using a bespoke taxonomy developed with input from PRCA members and machine learning models from The Data City, the research estimates that PR businesses generate £4.0 billion in direct Gross Value Added (GVA), with a further £3.1 billion supported through supply chains and employee spending. For every £1 generated directly by the sector, an additional 77 pence is created elsewhere in the economy.

The report estimates that the sector directly employs more than 52,000 people, while wider economic activity supports 95,464 jobs. Average annual wages are estimated at £46,003, around 18 percent higher than the UK average, while each full-time equivalent role generates £77,628 in GVA.

Sector supports regional economies

The analysis finds that public relations generates more than £100 million in economic value in every UK region. London remains the largest market, contributing £2.9 billion in GVA and supporting 26,102 jobs, followed by the South East (£919 million), the North West (£639 million), the East of England (£494 million) and the South West (£409 million). Other major industry hubs include Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol.

The report also identifies public affairs as a significant part of the sector, highlighting its role in helping organisations engage with policymakers, regulators, political stakeholders and communities.

PRCA highlights strategic role

Sarah Waddington CBE, CEO, PRCA: "This report is a landmark moment for our industry. It proves that public relations and public affairs are not peripheral functions, they are engines of economic value, trust and influence across the UK.

"At £7.1 billion and more than 95,000 jobs, our sector is making a major contribution to national prosperity. But its real power goes beyond the numbers: PR and public affairs help organisations cross complexity, build confidence, shape policy, protect reputation and create the trust that modern economies depend on.

"Fundamentally this report proves that public relations and public affairs are growing in strength and should be seen as an asset class close to management. In this time of fracturing social cohesion, our skills are needed more than ever and should be further invested in to unlock greater economic and societal outcomes."

Study addresses measurement challenge

Adriana Curca, Director, CBI Economics: "The impact of public relations has always been difficult to measure because it doesn't sit neatly under one official economic category. Instead its activity cuts across various disciplines - like communications, public affairs and strategic consultancy, making the sector's true scale almost impossible to identify.

"By building a bespoke taxonomy around what these businesses actually do, rather than how they happen to be registered, we've been able to properly isolate the sector for the first time and quantify its contribution with confidence. What the data shows is a genuinely high-value, productive part of the economy.

"PR employees generate around 55% more value added per worker than the creative industries average, and productivity levels are broadly comparable to knowledge-intensive professional sectors such as legal and accounting. It is also a national sector rather than a London one, with every UK region generating more than £100 million in PR-related economic value."

The PRCA noted that the research does not include the contribution of in-house public relations professionals, including those working in the public sector, meaning the sector's overall economic impact is likely to be greater than the report estimates.

The full study can be accessed here

www.prca.global

www.cbi.org.uk

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