Diversifying the leadership demographic of the public relations industry, one cohort at a time

Socially Mobile was founded to support and inspire public relations practitioners across the UK to increase their earning potential. We aim to create a pipeline of talent from lower income backgrounds and under-represented groups in order to make the public relations industry more representative and diverse.

According to the PRCA, the public relations profession employs almost 100,000 people across the UK and contributes £16.7bn to the economy.

It’s an important job. Practitioners working across the public, private and third sectors help to shape policies and narratives, engage with stakeholders and communities, and support risk and resilience efforts to keep organisations and the UK economy sustainable.

However, there is a serious issue: today’s public relations practitioners do not reflect the organisations or society that they serve.

The CIPR’s State of the Profession Survey shows that a quarter of PR practitioners attended fee-paying schools, compared to seven per cent of the UK population.

Its 2024 PR Population Report, published in partnership with Chalkstream, reported that 87% of practitioners are of a white ethnic background, and they make up 90% of directors.

“Hiring in public relations is too often based on the professional norm of meeting assumptions about client expectations. It is holding back progress on diversity and inclusivity in the UK, because stereotypical assumptions of who 'fits' the right professional mould tends to favour candidates that match dominant identities (middle-class, white, cisgender and able-bodied). This makes it harder for diverse candidates to get hired at all levels of the profession, and particularly as they move up the professional hierarchy.”

Prof Dr Lee Edwards, London School of Economics

 

In 2021, the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre reported that the UK creative industries were under-represented by 250,000 working class people. Extrapolating data using the PRCA Census, the public relations figure is likely to be more than 13,500.

In short, public relations is becoming a closed profession to those who are predominately white, wealthy and networked.

It’s time to change this. The Socially Mobile programme is a platform for developing knowledge, experience and career prospects, with the goal of making a well-paid, director-level career in public relations accessible to everyone, regardless of background.