As 2025 draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the conversations I’ve had with senior corporate and financial communications professionals, our blue-chip clients and strategic comms consultancy bosses this year. I want to share what I have learned about the challenges, trends, and practical realities that have brought us to where we are today.
There’s no denying it, 2025 was far from a bed of roses. It has been a tough one with many companies running fast just to stand still and ending the year quite frustrated with little revenue or people growth. That’s not the case across the board but it was certainly a familiar story when talking to Directors of Corporate Affairs and agency bosses.
Corporate communications in 2025 face several challenges. The hiring market is tough, with lots of great senior people looking for work, not enough roles available, slower decision cycles, and tighter comms budgets, all demanding clear ROI from communications. Senior agency leaders are under persistent business development pressure and with so many agencies being private equity backed, targets are increasing. Agency instability due to mergers and restructures has caused uncertainty and cultural strain. In-house roles are highly competitive and sought-after, with broader remits from leaner teams. Sector pigeonholing is limiting mobility, and the hiring process is lengthy and inconsistent and even some roles being pulled at the last minute. Some industry sectors and companies continue to undervalue communications, reducing their strategic voice at the board level.
Key trends this year include agency consolidation and in-house capability build-outs with intensified competition for senior in-house roles. There is a convergence of corporate/financial communications, public affairs, and digital/content roles demanding integrated storytellers. AI literacy has become a baseline expectation across workflows and interview assessments. Heightened regulatory scrutiny in financial services, private equity, infrastructure, and energy has increased the value of issue/crisis skills. Flexibility and ‘adult cultures’ remain a differentiator influencing movement, especially for working parents. A small number of companies (agencies and corporations) are asking for four/five days working from the office However, most agencies remain consistent with their hybrid working policies, requesting three days in the office and in-house comms teams benefits from two days in the office on average. Senior professionals are spending a great deal of time mentoring and coaching their younger colleagues who need more attention due to hybrid/remote working.
Professionals need to be great ‘all-rounders’ corporate communicators skilled in media, narrative development, issues/crisis management, stakeholder mapping, digital/content creation, and measurement. Commercial acumen is essential to demonstrate revenue influence and articulate return on investment. Sector fluency with portability across different verticals is required, along with executive counselling capabilities to manage senior stakeholders decisively. That said, many agency bosses prefer sector expertise over a generalist, as clients are demanding deep sector knowledge. We often see a long ‘shopping list’ of requirements with multiple disciplines and sectors on the ideal list – companies are looking for great value from people, which means breadth of experience counts. AI literacy for research acceleration and content building is expected alongside evidence-led storytelling using analytics within lean structures, where leadership involves coaching juniors and orchestrating agencies effectively.
Main reasons for leaving an employer this year have included redundancies, restructures, and post-merger changes that shrink scope or stall progression. Professionals seek broader strategic remits and ownership when progressing to an Agency Partner or Director of Comms role. Misalignment with culture or leadership, lack of mentorship, recognition, and values fit also drove departures. Shifts between in-house and agency roles are common for gaining depth or variety. Compensation changes and concerns over stability are significant factors.
Complaints include opaque hiring processes with moving goalposts and excessive stages. AI-driven application funnels degrade candidate experience, with many professionals not getting replies to online job applications. Culture and leadership issues such as limited progression, weak mentoring, misaligned values, and disappointing bonuses are prevalent. Agencies face pressure to do more with less, leading to lean teams under constant pressure to grow business from new and existing clients. Sector pigeonholing limits cross-industry mobility. We have been operating in a hiring market where like-for-like sector experience is a prerequisite, leaving little room for creativity.
AI adoption is rising but irregular - mainly used for notes, transcripts, research prompts, and outlines, while still requiring human judgment for nuance and most importantly for critical thinking. In recruitment, AI has been speeding up screening for some companies but overwhelming many. We have seen many great applicants are being missed by companies because they have advertised and become totally overwhelmed with responses.
AI raises quality expectations as everyone becomes more efficient and effective, with leaders expecting stronger reasoning and measurable impact beyond generic text. Issue/crisis readiness now includes AI-related risks like misinformation and deepfakes. Emerging norms include explicit references to AI tools in processes.
The industry is now more commercial and metrics-driven, with outcomes tied to revenue, deal flow, or policy wins. Agency consolidation is preferred by clients seeking fewer partners with higher accountability. Integrated skill demands blend digital, data, content, and stakeholder strategy into corporate communications. The senior talent market is tight and there are not enough roles to go around as there has been less investment in growth this year. AI reshapes workflows and expectations on speed and quality.
2025 has sharpened the brief for communicators, expecting them to be strategic, measurable and adaptable. Organisations that treat communications as a revenue and risk-aware function will win influence, and professionals who combine commercial instincts with integrated storytelling and AI fluency will be in demand. The year ahead will reward clarity of purpose, investment in capability, and leaders who can coach teams through change while keeping an eye on measurable outcomes.
Thanks for your ongoing support this year and here’s to a restful break, a few mince pies, and a bright start to 2026. Best wishes for the festive season!
Sarah Leembruggen
MD, The Works Search
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The Works Search: a search consultancy specialising in PR and corporate communications. We have unrivalled matching abilities and are known for finding the top 5% performers in the industry - the ones who deliver and make your reputation great. For more advice or market insights, do get in touch with us on 0207 903 9291 or email: sarah@the-works.co.uk.
