Susan Hardwick takes a look at how the communications industry is evolving. This article is from Communicate magazine's print edition.

As we start preparing for a new year, with so many changes having taken place in our industry over the past couple of years, I would like to reflect on the mood we are seeing among our members which was reflected in our recent GWPR 2024 Annual Index, the only global research for women into the shape of the PR industry globally.

There has been a shift back to the office and, if our results are anything to go by, this will increase significantly during 2025. Women continue to want more flexibility and, for the first time in our index, there is a big desire across all levels of seniority for compressed hours, indicating, perhaps, that long work hours and the demands of our industry leave little time for personal commitments. We see this not solely for women, but as a desirable change for all. Flexible working remains a key driver for women, mainly due to the level of caring responsibilities that tend to fall on their shoulders. However, more men seem to want to have this too in order to share the responsibilities at home and for a better work life balance.

There were fears that AI would be replacing a number of jobs, but this fear seems to have subsided as we recognise that it is not a replacement for talent but an enhancement for our work. As a result, there are opportunities for more creative and strategic roles and, far from reducing the workforce, there are now more opportunities as the number of communications channels continue to grow. The bedding in of the AI support systems allows for an even stronger role for communicators across all sectors. New technology has created new opportunities for our industry, from social media platforms to the enhancement of content creation and this will grow further in the coming twelve months. 

“Flexible working remains a key driver for women, mainly due to the level of caring responsibilities that tend to fall on their shoulders”

With the new technology and expanding platforms, workplaces will change and become more focused on the new talent required to make use of the many opportunities now emerging. The repetitious work has been replaced by enhanced technology and AI has opened huge opportunities for more strategic and creative work.  As a result, new talent for these areas will become ever more important.

The increase in media channels and the rise of a vast array of media influencers will expand the scope for a higher value workplace. There will be expanding opportunities for communicators and the speed for change will create a new style of workforce embracing the changes. Social influencers and content creators have already changed the landscape and will continue to do so at speed during 2025.

There will also be a requirement for more specialist skills rather than perhaps the more generalist skills that have been embraced previously in the communications industry, these will range from influencers to creatives to strategists, each changing the landscape for the industry.

In addition to the expanding range of skills required to meet the changing demands for the industry, there will also be a focus on the culture of workplaces: greater diversity, a focus on work life balance to get the best from employees.

 With the use of AI and other advancing technologies there will be a new working environment offering greater efficiency, better analytics and increased creativity. 2025 will be chance to consolidate the many changes that have emerged over the past couple of years and will undoubtedly be good for the communications industry as a whole.