PR firms have begun hiring again as the industry bounces back from pandemic spending cuts, and the Department of Labor expects the industry, which employed around 275,000 in 2019, to add around 20,000 jobs over the next decade.
PR salaries can vary widely. A VP at privately-held consulting and PR firm Teneo can earn $205,000, while the same role at Publicis' MSL brings in a base salary of $165,000.
Agencies still pay top dollar for international talent. They are required to file paperwork for all employees on visas, and the US Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification releases that information for all employers every quarter.
Negotiations for the salaries below are based on "prevailing wages," or the minimum amount companies must pay people for the jobs in question. In most cases, the salaries are considerably higher than the prevailing totals, which the Department of Labor uses to protect US employees' wages and prevent educated immigrant labor from accepting lower pay to get visas.
Insider analyzed 2020-21 salary data from dozens of those that filed for permanent green cards and temporary H-1B, H1B1, and E-3 visas.
These numbers don't include every type of visa or pay rates for US-born employees or include any form of compensation beyond base salary.
The firms listed either declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment.
Edelman, the industry's largest firm, paid a VP, tech and media specialist up to $155,000
Edelman is the world's largest PR firm by organic revenue, bringing in $840 million in 2020.
These are salaries and salary ranges for a variety of jobs across Edelman's US offices:
- Client financial specialist: $59,530 to $79,227
- Analyst, digital intelligence: $67,000
- Art director: $74,318 to $104,562
- Associate data scientist: $78,853 to $98,363
- Senior manager, marketing analytics: $90,000
- Account supervisor: $95,000.16
- Director: $101,774
- VP, operations research: $105,997
- Senior business analyst: $113,630 to $115,211
- Manager, enterprise systems: $151,000
- VP, technology media specialist: $135,000 to $155,000
- SVP, international public affairs: $170,000
Holding company-owned firms Marina Maher Communications and Hotwire paid VPs $170,000 and $185,000
WPP, Omnicom, IPG, Publicis, and Havas pay a range of salaries at their top firms.
- Graphic designer, Havas Formula: $75,000
- Executive support manager, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, WPP: $76,211
- Senior account executive, MSL, Publicis: $77,000
- Senior DevOps engineer, BCW, WPP: $88,000
- Senior analyst, Ogilvy Public Relations, WPP: $70,000 to $95,000
- Senior account director, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, WPP: $107,000
- Director of strategic communications, Glover Park Group, WPP: $145,854 to $150,000
- Senior planner, Golin, IPG: $135,000 to $155,000
- VP, MSL, Publicis: $165,000
- Global VP, fabric care, Marina Maher Communications, Omnicom: $170,000
- SVP, strategy and development, healthcare, BCW, WPP: $178,000
- SVP, content and publishing strategy, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, WPP: $180,000
- Business analysis director, Ogilvy Public Relations, WPP: $185,000
Smaller holding companies like Enero Group, which owns Hotwire PR, Next 15, which owns M Booth, and Project Worldwide, which owns Praytell, also hired workers on visas.
- Senior director, marketing analytics and insights, M Booth, Next 15: $130,000 to $145,000
- VP, account strategy, Praytell, Project Worldwide: $145,000
- Executive creative director, Praytell, Project Worldwide: $158,434 to $175,000
- VP, global finance, Hotwire PR, Enero: $185,000
Independent firms APCO Worldwide and Mission North paid a specialist and an SVP $115,000 and $205,000
Independent and speciality firms like APCO Worldwide, Prosek Partners, and Sard Verbinnen & Co., also seek to hire from overseas.
- Senior account executive, Prosek Partners: $62,000
- Associate, Sard Verbinnen & Co.: $65,000
- Associate, finance public relations, Sard Verbinnen & Co.: $75,000
- Account supervisor, Racepoint Global: $79,000
- Senior consultant, corporate communications, APCO Worldwide: $80,000
- Comms specialist, Prosek Partners: $80,000
- Senior associate, Sard Verbinnen & Co. LLC: $114,999
- PR specialist, APCO Worldwide: $115,484
- SVP, Mission North: $205,000
The PR divisions of consulting firms ICF, FTI, and Teneo paid top executives up to $420,000
Consulting firms with PR specialty divisions offer some of the industry's top-paying jobs.
They include ICF Next, part of consulting firm ICF International, FTI Consulting, and Teneo.
- Associate, organizational design and change management, ICF Next: $68,250
- SEO search strategist, ICF Next: $70,031
- Senior consultant, FTI New York: $100,000
- Senior business analyst, ICF Next: $105,000
- Senior consultant, FTI Washington, DC: $119,300
- Business intelligence engineer, ICF Next: $120,000
- Associate, Teneo: $63,000 to $126,000
- Senior solutions engineer, ICF Next: $131,858
- Senior director, FTI Washington, DC: $155,000
- VP, Teneo: $205,000 to $215,000
- Managing director, FTI New York: $300,000
- Managing director, FTI California: $420,000
Read more about the top PR firms:
- Public-relations giant Edelman is asking employees to work at the office for 60% of the time but doesn't require vaccinations
- The 18 top execs at Weber Shandwick leading the public relations giant as it rivals Edelman in the race to hit $1 billion in revenue
- Omnicom's PR unit outperformed in the pandemic. Its new chief outlined his plans to keep the momentum going.
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