HONG KONG, 24th November, 2021 – Less than a third of Asia Pacific PR and communications professionals (29%) expect to be fully office-based following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new report on the sector.

At present, the vast majority (83%) of PR practitioners are working from home either all or some of the time, the Asia Pacific PR and Communications Census 2021 shows.

Post-pandemic, 62% expect they will continue with a mix of remote and office working, while just 9% expect to remain fully home-based, it finds.

The Census is published by PRCA Asia Pacific, the regional arm of the world’s largest PR membership body and YouGov. Other editions are published by the PRCA in the UK, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Latin America.

A third (34%) of respondents to the Asia Pacific Census have been asked to take unpaid leave at some point since March 2020, as economies try to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. That figure is lower (24%) when looking solely at those respondents employed by a consultancy, and higher (43%) for those with an in-house PR role.

Similarly, while 20% of consultancy PRs say that their agency has made redundancies since March 2020, the figure rises to 59% for those in an in-house position.

Other findings of the 560-person study include:

  • Two in three Asia Pacific PR professionals (63%) think the industry’s approach to promoting women to leadership positions is ‘good’ or ‘very good’ – although that figure is lower (58%) for female respondents. Three in four (73%) respondents say that their own employer’s approach is ‘good’ or ‘very good’
  • Nearly three in five respondents (58%) got a pay rise in the last year – a figure which is slightly higher for both in-house respondents (63%), and male respondents (61%).
  • More than half (55%) got a bonus last year, with these more common for in-house (67%) than agency (45%) respondents.
  • 34% of respondents respond to out-of-hours calls and emails every day, and another 34% do so every two to three days.
  • PR practitioners in the region are contracted to work on average 36.7 hours each week but in reality work many more – on average, 44.8 for men and 46.4 for women

Tara Munis MPRCA, Head of APAC, PRCA, said: “All PR and communications practitioners in Asia Pacific will have been impacted in some way by COVID-19. It is sad, but not hugely surprising, to find in this Census that a third of respondents were asked to take unpaid leave since March 2020, and a slightly higher proportion saw their company make people redundant.

“Despite all the challenges, there may be some changes we come to see as positive – for example, I hope that the emerging hybrid model of both home- and office-based work can promote productivity and wellbeing in the PR profession.”

Francis Ingham MPRCA, Director General, PRCA, said: “The PRCA’s various Census reports are an important part of our mission to both understand and tackle the issues facing our members and the profession in every region in which we operate. Professional and ethical communication has never been more important to business and society, and I am proud of the work the PRCA does to support that.”

ENDS

About PRCA
The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) is the world’s largest professional PR body.

We represent more than 35,000 PR professionals in 70 countries worldwide. With offices in London, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore and Buenos Aires, we are a global advocate for excellence in public relations.

Our mission is to create a more professional, ethical, and prosperous PR industry. We champion – and enforce – professional standards around the world through our Professional Charter and Code of Conduct. The Code compels members to adhere to the highest standards of ethical practice.

We deliver exceptional training, authoritative industry data, and global networking and development opportunities.

We also manage the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) – the umbrella body for 41 PR associations and 3,000 agencies across the world; and LG Comms – the UK’s national body for local government communicators. Additionally, we support the delivery of the Motor Industry Communicators Association (MICA).