The Job Scene: After the Tassels are Turned: PR Market Healthy For Grads
One of the barometers of the health of the PR industry is looking at whether or not college grads are finding work or serving up lattes.
Taking that angle, all's well in the world of PR: the "1997 Annual Survey of Journalism & Mass Communication Graduates" (The University of Georgia) shows that bachelor of arts majors employed in PR surpasses those entering other communications fields, with the exception of advertising.
Findings for those majors securing full-time employment are:
- PR: 78.8 percent
- Advertising: 79.7 percent;
- News editorial: 71.8 percent;
- Broadcasting: 68.3 percent;
Survey results are based on questionnaires sent to 5,008, with 2,314 returned by students by the end of May. Ironically, this news comes on the heels of the University of Maryland's decision to abolish its undergraduate PR sequence. The University of Maryland is renowned for having one of the top PR academic programs in the nation.
The 1997 results represent the highest full-time employment rate PR grads have had in the past decade. (University of Georgia, 706/542-5023)
Labor Pains? Wirthlin Study Indicates Labor Relations Top of Mind
As if you didn't have enough to chew on when it comes to your role in the millennium (Y2K; the proliferation of the Internet; mergers and acquisitions), consider that communicators are going to have to brush up on their labor relations savvy, too. Half of 1,001 American adults surveyed by Wirthlin Worldwide believe that labor unions can present a barrier to companies competing in a global economy.
But Wirthlin, McLean, Va., also concludes that 48 percent feel the union's role in protecting workers is less important than in the past (even with 26 percent of respondents revealing that they are part of households with union members). (Wirthlin, 801/226-1524
Media Relations: Broadcasters: Less Than Stellar At Winning Over Corporations?
Here's another reason for treating newspaper journalists with respect: a survey by strategic communications firm Wixtel Pope Nora & Associates shows that 68 percent of Fortune 500 execs said they'd rather be interviewed by a newspaper reporter than a broadcaster because it's "soundbite," not in-depth reporting.
(WPN&A, 312/280-9280)
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Employment $tatus of Bachelor of Art Recipients Working In PR
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| BA Grads with Fulltime PR Jobs, by Percentage | |||||||||
| 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
| 72.6 | 72 | 70.7 | 64.2 | 68.4 | 69.7 | 69.9 | 73 | 73 | 78.8 |
| BA Grads with Parttime PR Jobs, by Percentage | |||||||||
| 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
| 11.1 | 7.2 | 9.1 | 13.8 | 12.9 | 9.8 | 8.9 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 9.1 |
| Source: The University of Georgia | |||||||||