Public relations professionals: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 2493 · Professional occupations

Public relations professionals

Public relations professionals plan, organise and co-ordinate the activities that promote the image and understanding of an organisation and its products or services to consumers, businesses, members of the public and other specified audiences.

How people enter it

Most entrants possess A levels/H grades and a degree or equivalent qualification. Further professional qualifications are available.

What the work involves

discusses issues of business strategy, products, services and target client base with senior colleagues to identify public relations requirements
writes, edits and arranges for the effective distribution of press releases, newsletters, social media and other public relations material
addresses individuals, clients and other target groups through meetings, presentations, the media and other events to enhance the public image of an organisation
develops and implements tools to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of public relations exercises

Also called

Account manager (public relations) · Communications manager (public relations) · Public relations consultant · Press officer · Public relations officer · Social media manager

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
2493 : Public relations professionals	None	None	2026-03	75,800.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2493 : Public relations professionals	None	None	2026-03	78,800.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2493 : Public relations professionals	None	None	2026-03	80,600.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2493 : Public relations professionals	None	None	2026-03	700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2493 : Public relations professionals	None	None	2026-03	1,900.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2493 : Public relations professionals	None	None	2026-03	81,300.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2493 : Public relations professionals	None	None	2026-03	3,000.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	8,200.00	2026-03
East Midlands	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	2,300.00	2026-03
London	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	28,900.00	2026-03
North East	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	2,100.00	2026-03
North West	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	7,800.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	700.00	2026-03
Scotland	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	1,900.00	2026-03
South East	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	11,800.00	2026-03
South West	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	6,200.00	2026-03
Wales	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	3,000.00	2026-03
West Midlands	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	4,200.00	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	2493 : Public relations professionals	None	4,400.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for public relations professionals vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 12 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.

Classified alongside this

Advertising accounts managers and creative directors · Newspaper and periodical broadcast journalists and reporters · Newspaper, periodical and broadcast editors