Three of four respondents reported salary increases over the previous year in the 2017 PRWeek/Bloom, Gross & Associates Salary Survey.
The median PR salary increased from $82,500 to $91,000 the previous year. Most PR pros (57%) agreed they are well compensated, few (3%) believe their job is at risk due to economic conditions, and most (65%) would decline taking a pay cut or salary freeze at another company in favor of job security.
Middle and senior level professionals and those with the right skills are most in demand. PR agencies desire people who can close and keep new accounts. PR hiring managers also seek people with broad communications skills, an understanding of data-driven PR and diverse ideologies.
More employers are offering perks like additional vacation time and freedom to work from anywhere. “Employees want to be happy with the place they work, but I would be remiss to say salary is not important — it is, of course, important,” says Denise Young, vice president, corporate affairs for Wrigley Americas. “It’s how you show your employees you value them.”
Gender Gap in Pay
Men earned an average of $120,000 compared to $84,000 for women. The pay gap grows as PR progress through their careers. Among those with less than five years of experience, men reported an average salary of $53,000, and women earned $48,000. Among those with more than five years of experience, men earned an average $135,000 and women, $95,000. Men taking the survey where older on average than women – 43 vs. 36 — which could account for some of the discrepancy.
A survey by PayScale also revealed an “opportunity gap.” Men promoted faster and are more likely to attain management roles in later stages of their careers. Although women hold most jobs in the sector, they hold only 40 percent of the jobs that pay more than $150,000 per year.
Women in marketing, PR and advertising earn 96 cents for every dollar than men based on salary alone, according to the recent research. Although that’s better than the average across all jobs, which found that women earn 85 cents for every dollar a male earns, it’s still concerning.
Different sectors may account for the pay gap, some PR observers say. Men gravitate towards business and tech PR, which pays more than lifestyle PR. Women can be less aggressive when seeking pay raises, Gretel Going, co-founder of Channel V Media, told Digiday. “This is definitely not true across the board but in general, we find ourselves having to prod [our female employees] to ask for more money,” Going said.
Bottom Line: Although public relations professionals enjoy rising salaries, surveys reveal a perplexing discrepancy between men’s and women’s salaries. Men are more likely to win high-level positions and greater pay as they progress through their careers. Differences in ages of survey cannot fully explain the difference.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
