PR sector ‘lagging behind in terms of flexible working provisions’

The PR industry is one of the UK's worst performers in terms of proactively offering flexible working opportunities, according to a new study.

According to the Timewise Flexible Jobs Index, only 6.2 percent of job vacancies with salaries of between 20,000 and 29,999 pounds a year across all sectors mentioned flexible working options – falling to two per cent for the PR industry.

It means the sector has one of the lowest percentages of any in the country, alongside the engineering and manufacturing industries. The report also showed that more than 14 million British staff want to work flexibly, but only 5.4 million currently do.

This was the first study of its kind, analysing 3.5 million job adverts across 122 national jobs boards between July and December 2014.

Karen Mattison, chief executive officer of Timewise, said: "The world of work has experienced a revolution – technology advances and recent legislation have facilitated a huge growth in flexible working, yet this has not been reflected in hiring practices."

Flexible working is becoming more in-demand than ever before, following the introduction of new laws last June giving all UK workers the legal right to request flexible work allowances.