The Changing Landscape of UK Public Affairs
by Warren Madlin, Director
The Elephant in the Room
We can’t talk about UK public affairs without discussing the cross-industry rush to hire those who understand, and have a network within, The Labour Party. The close-to-100% party affiliation bias that our recent vacancy briefs have had would lead you to believe a red government this year is a foregone conclusion. Too few agencies got ahead of the curve and a big chunk were slow off the mark when polls began to shift in November 2021. The competition for this area of talent is now fierce. Those in demand are at their moment of maximum value.
Some considerations for those looking to make these hires:
Blair/Brown-era leavers come without the huge premium on salary demands we are seeing from those with more recent networks, whilst still bringing huge value-add.
However unlikely you think it is, candidates are leaving the party. But don’t be put off by talk of wanting a better work-life balance. They can still deliver excellently for your agency on less hours than it takes to get Keir elected.
As the general election nears, be well positioned to earn the interest of those in the party who learn that they won’t be taken into a future government. There isn’t space for everyone and some fantastic talent will be left behind.
Revenue
After a number of years of solid growth in public affairs, last year for most was a year of plateau. Apart from some outliers, most agencies saw similar figures to 2022.
In response to this, agencies are trying to make the most of existing talent where they can. Some specialists are being asked to become broader, some generalists are being asked to do PR, and some leavers are being replaced from promotions within.
And when all eyes are on the balance sheet – few are on diversity and ESG. We have seen a remarkable drop in conversations around these topics when taking role briefs. Clients that would have been ruled out in previous years, for reasons such as environmental credentials, now have a better chance of being taken on.
Diversification and Risk
Prior investment from public affairs consultancies in skillsets across research, data and polling has slowed. Clients still want evidence-backed advice, but the desire to be able to offer these credentials internally, rather than outsource to a specialist partner agency, has slowed.
Risk-averse hiring is the goal of many managers now. In times of growth, we see hiring for potential. At the moment, our clients want candidates to tick all the boxes from day one.
New Players
Every year, I am surprised at how well new entrants to the public affairs market do. Our well-established industry seems to have an endless capacity for disruption – and 2023 was no different. I’m genuinely excited to see what new names appear in 2024.
MadlinHanna Consulting is a recruitment consultancy specialising in public affairs, corporate communications and financial PR. Contact us in London on +44 (0) 20 8088 4102 or in Brussels on +32 (0) 2 586 38 98 for more information or a confidential conversation about these services and more.