Welcome to our Recruitment Year in Review on the PRmoment Podcast, where we look at the PR job market with Dean Connolly, founder & PR recruitment director at Latte.

We look back at the talent trends in PR for 2023. The year has seen huge changes in the PR recruitment market. Back in January, we were in the midst of a significant talent war in the sector, which saw a raft of above-inflation pay rises - but the cost of living crisis and a tougher trading environment saw the dynamics of the PR talent market turn on its head in Q2 and Q3 - before a picking up again in Q4.

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Here’s a summary of what Dean and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:

2 mins Dean talks about how 2023 was a year of 2 halves from a talent recruitment perspective.

“It’s become easier for agencies to attract talent.”

“For tech agencies, some have made redundancies, but we've seen some small and mid-size players growing at a rapid rate.”

8 mins  The second half of the year has seen a number of ups and downs in hiring trends.

“There is positive sentiment heading into 2024.”

10 minsBen and Dean reflect on the reality that 2023 saw far fewer redundancies in PR than many had feared.

“People that got made redundant got snapped up quickly.”

“Once you’ve done three years in a sector - you’re seen as a specialist. Event at account exec.”

“We’ve seen (the) consumer (sector) really quieten down this year. We’ve (Latte) pivoted as a business and taken on more corporate and tech roles.”

“If you're hiring, it’s a better market at the moment.”

14 minsDean updates us on some of the biggest PR moves in the last month or so. Including Ali Kramer joining Fight of Flight, Elle Bellwood joining The Academy and Leila Ager being promoted to managing director of corporate and public affairs at BCW in London (an internal move.)

“We’re seeing a lot of mid-sized agencies hiring creative teams.”

18 mins  Dean's top 3 PR talent predictions for 2024:

1. “2024 will see the PR talent market continue to loosen.”

2. “The debate around hybrid working in PR will die.”

3. “Agencies that invest in their employer brand will win the fight for talent.”

“An employer brand makes it ten times easier to recruit talent.”

21 mins Agencies need to tighten up their recruitment processes: “A 3 stage interview process (is the) maximum.”

“If you (the employer) can wrap up the interview process within three weeks, you will have a shot at securing the best talent.”

24 mins What is the average length of the recruitment process in PR?