Employee Retention in 2026: What PR and Communications Agencies Can Learn from the Data

By Alexandra Mayhew

Retaining great people has always been a challenge for PR and communications agencies, but the ground is shifting fast. The 2025 IPREX Retention Toolkit shows that for the first time, work–life balance now outranks pay as the top reason employees stay. That change reflects more than preference. It signals a deeper redefinition of what talented professionals expect from agency life.

What Matters Most to Agency Talent

Across the IPREX network, staff report strong satisfaction and a deep sense of pride in their work. Four out of five would recommend their agency to a friend or peer, and more than 90 percent say they feel supported, treated fairly, and comfortable being themselves.

These are powerful indicators of psychological safety and belonging, two of the strongest drivers of creativity and loyalty.

But the findings also show where agencies can strengthen their edge. While 70 percent are satisfied with pay and benefits, one in three are not fully confident they are compensated fairly. And although 88 percent believe their agency promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion effectively, regional gaps remain, particularly compared with APAC's standout 100 percent inclusion rating.

Flexibility is Now Non-Negotiable

The clearest message from this year's data is that flexibility is the new baseline. Ninety-two percent of employees say their job gives them the balance they need to manage their personal lives. This is the single strongest lever for retention.

PR and marketing agencies, especially those that operate independently, are uniquely positioned to deliver this. By embedding flexibility and wellbeing as part of the core employee value proposition, not just a benefit, agencies can strengthen loyalty and reduce attrition.

Growth Keeps People Grounded

Pay and flexibility get people in the door. Growth keeps them there. Nine in ten employees are satisfied with their professional development opportunities, and 83 percent see a clear path for advancement. The data shows that visible, structured growth pathways are now a baseline expectation, not a bonus.

Agencies that communicate transparent levels, provide coaching, and connect staff with cross-regional learning opportunities such as the IPREX Academy create a stronger sense of future and belonging.

Why Culture Still Counts Most

Numbers tell part of the story. Culture completes it. Ninety percent of employees say they trust their organisation to be fair and collaborative. Those are the foundations of high-performing teams. Trust, fairness, and inclusion build resilience, particularly in smaller agencies competing for talent against global networks.

The Five Priorities for Retention

The IPREX Retention Toolkit 2025 identifies five actions every PR, communications, and marketing agency can take to strengthen retention:

1. Keep flexibility front and centre – Design policies that prioritise trust, balance, and autonomy.

2. Protect psychological safety – Foster open feedback, inclusive leadership, and fair decision-making.

3. Create pay transparency and equity – Build clarity and credibility through open pay frameworks.

4. Define career paths clearly – Communicate growth trajectories that staff can see and measure.

5. Invest in learning – Make development a cultural norm through mentoring, training, and shared knowledge.

Why This Matters

Agencies that get retention right do more than keep people longer. They build stronger, more engaged teams that deliver better results. The 2025 data reinforces that balance, belonging, and growth are the real currencies of loyalty in PR and communications.

For the full report, insights by region, and practical recommendations, download the IPREX Retention Toolkit 2025 and discover how your agency can future-proof its talent strategy.

About IPREX

IPREX is a 508 million-dollar network of communication agencies with more than 1,100 professionals in over 100 markets worldwide. Each location is led by senior practitioners who take an active role in client success. IPREX ranks as the tenth-largest communications group globally, according to The Holmes Report.

The network is committed to creating more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. IPREX supports its partners with resources and best practices that address race, age, and gender to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion are embedded with action and intention.

For more information, visit www.iprex.com.

AI tools were used in the creation of this article.