How 2019 has changed the communications sector

The communications sector encountered a lot of change in 2019 with a rise in interim work, team growth and restructures as well as change comms being the main trends which shaped the sector.  As a team we recently discussed how each of these topics made an impact, here are our key takeaways.

Interim

Due to political uncertainty, 2019 saw an influx in interim roles across both the IR & communications market, particularly at the senior end – even with the IR35 changes looming over the private sector.

The flexibility of an interim role offers the client a short-term solution to a long-term business need without committing to a permanent headcount. One of the main benefits that clients have noticed when hiring an interim candidate is that they can parachute into a role and deliver on priorities.

We anticipate the interim market to change come April 2020, but believe this skill set will still be as sought after across all industries.

Change Communications

Change communications is imperative to any business going through serious change or uncertainty. We have seen roles in businesses of all sizes and complexities, whether it be a transformation project implementing a new IT system, a relocation of an entire workload or potential Brexit effects.

Change communications typically has been a ‘project based’ skill set, however, 2019 more than ever has seen our clients are bringing this role in-house, permanently to ensure consistent messaging among employees.

Growing teams and restructures

Communications has never felt more crucial. A strong, influential communications team (internal & external) is at the forefront of any business.

A number of our clients  have revamped and restructured their communications teams entirely in order to prioritise their corporate messaging and PR. Restructures have included building out their corporate and consumer communications divisions, bringing in talent from outside of the industry and developing their senior leadership team.

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