Public sector and blue-chips using more freelances

In-house PR departments at public sector bodies and blue-chips have

replaced agencies as the biggest employer of freelance PROs, fresh

figures revealed this week.

According to PR recruitment firm xchangeteam, briefs from agencies have

slumped from 70 to just 30 per cent of its work in the past six months

as a result of the economic downturn.

Contracts from the public sector and blue-chips have risen from 30 to 70

per cent in the same period.

This turnaround comes on top of a boom in the freelance sector for

October.

xchange-team, which has more than 2,000 freelances on its books, claims

to have had 20 per cent more consultants working in October than in

September.

Charlotte Adams, xchangeteam marcoms manager, said the recession has led

to firms and organisations, in particular charities, looking to recruit

freelances to boost in-house teams, rather than hiring PR agencies to

carry out the work.

She said: 'Agencies are getting less work and are thinning it around

their internal resources to save money.'

Adams added that freelances with specialisms in public sector work,

healthcare, internal communications and crisis management are in

increasing demand rather than those with more general media relations

experience.