Industry collaboration delivers major win for PR profession

Communication and Public Relations Australia (CPRA) has welcomed the Australian Government’s addition of public relations to the new Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), marking a significant victory for the industry’s collaborative approach to addressing critical skills shortages.

The announcement follows an extensive two-year campaign led by CPRA’s Migration Taskforce, which brought together leaders from across Australia’s communications sector to advocate for migration reform.

Chair of the Task Force and former CPRA chair Shane Allison said the changes would help address the severe talent shortage that has impacted the industry since the COVID-19 pandemic: “This is a landmark moment for our industry, achieved through unprecedented collaboration between agencies who came together to invest in research and advocacy for the benefit of the entire sector.

“The addition of public relations to the CSOL, with its pathway to permanent residency, demonstrates the Government’s recognition of our profession’s vital contribution to the Australian economy and the growth of local businesses.

“This is not just a significant achievement for agencies – but for our entire industry. It addresses the critical skills shortage for every communications professional, ensuring we have a strong pipeline of talent for now and into the future.”

The Migration Taskforce, supported by over 15 leading communication agencies, commissioned detailed labour market analysis which demonstrated that public relations employment generates over $3.7 billion in wages annually and contributes more than $6 billion to Australia’s GDP.

Allison said that the essential ingredient of the reform was the collaborative approach between Taskforce members.

CPRA acknowledges the outstanding support of its Migration Taskforce members including Herd MSL, Havas Red, WE Communications, Ogilvy PR, Sling & Stone, Sefiani, The Haus, History Will Be Kind, Icon, Porter Novelli, Burson, Agenda C, Mango Communications, Salt & Shein, Thrive PR and The Savage Company.

Adds Allison: “This achievement simply wouldn’t be possible without this generous support. It truly demonstrates that together as an industry – we can achieve just about anything.”