PR beyond borders: How talent in PR is becoming non-agnostic in terms of geography

From legacy organisations to new-age startups, the Indian PR industry plays a vital role in brand communication today. Public relations helps steer businesses ahead and has evolved to become a valuable partner for organizations. The industry has been moving at a steady pace and in the last two decades the number of public relations professionals has risen sharply. The employment of PR specialists is estimated to grow 11 percent from 2020 to 2030, as per the Bureau of Labour Statistics USA.

Further, the need for organisations to manage their public image will continue to drive this employment growth. In fact, in India, new hiring trends are gaining dominance. The growing number of PR professionals, skills, capabilities and understanding of public relations makes India a vibrant market in terms of talent acquisition for global PR agencies.

As the pandemic left companies scrambling to adjust their workplaces, PR firms too had to think on their feet, especially during the lockdown phases. The Covid-19 crisis brought a paradigm shift in the industry as a location-agnostic model took centrestage. From flexi-work to hybrid and remote work models, the move towards becoming digital has led to an increase in hiring across geographical borders.

PR industry in the post Covid-19 world

Being truly location-agnostic is more than just letting employees work from their home office. Getting the right talent on board has become the biggest challenge and also a growth constraint for firms even as they slowly resurface from the Covid-19 crisis. Rightnow, companies across the world are combating a financial crisis and are constantly looking for ways to save costs and outsource labour from the US and Europe.

India, however, is unlocking global growth opportunities and hiring of Indian talent for global roles is on an upswing. As global organisations continue to foray into the lucrative Indian market, there is a widening scope for collaboration between India-based teams and their global counterparts.
Moreover, this isn’t just limited to existing professionals taking up global roles within the same organisation. New hires are specifically coming on board to perform these roles. Since most global players have invested in India and consequently achieved positive results over the last few years, India has emerged as an attractive and strong growth destination.

Hiring for PR talent- Advantage India

In an increasingly digital world, companies are embracing global diversity and implementing inclusive policies in a big way. As a result of which, Indian public relations professionals are being preferred and hired for global PR roles. So what really works in our favour? Well, to begin with, Indians have an edge over their foreign counterparts due to flexible and adaptable working styles and an excellent command over the English language. Working with varied teams across geographies makes Indians more accustomed to working in accordance with U.S. and Europe timelines. Hiring Indian professionals is also more affordable as the cost per hire is relatively inexpensive. Plus, taxation norms in India are more relaxed as businesses are eligible for GST exemption.

What’s more, they drive better results and ROI given their wide exposure while handling PR for multiple clients in the diverse Indian market. While most global companies have already reached a mature stage, an emerging market like India is in the midst of a media explosion and the way the PR industry functions is very different. Here, the industry is still at a nascent stage and has huge scope for providing integrated communications. The lines between digital, advertising and PR are blurred at the moment.

As a result, PR professionals are able to offer strategic communication plans, construct personalised narratives and tailor-made PR strategies when working for global clients as well.

New-age PR trends in post-pandemic future

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the pandemic has given a major boost to global opportunities for India-based PR professionals. Covid-19 has led to a major technology shift in the way organisations work.

With virtual events, zoom meetings and WFH models becoming a norm, the physical location of the PR professional does not matter anymore. The influx of digital project management tools have also made PR professionals better-equipped to deliver faster results and higher productivity, even for those who were unable to take on full-time roles post-Covid.

Another significant trend picking pace in PR is that of global firms hiring professionals from class B cities. Be it Bhopal or Indore, hiring employees based out of Tier-2 cities for national and geo-agnostic roles is on the rise.
This is because remote work models and the lower cost of living in smaller towns and cities are enabling scores of professionals to work from everywhere. Most PR professionals who were located in Tier-1 cities till now were lured into moving back to their hometowns during the pandemic, despite having worked in a Tier-1 city at a more competitive salary.

Even as most companies are in the throes of a talent crisis, building location-agnostic business models is clearly the way forward. If rapidly growing companies continue to harness Indian talent in PR at the current pace, it could help them to truly excel on the world stage.

About the author:

Priyanka Wadhwa, Head Corporate Strategy & Growth, CommsCredible