SEATTLE, July 12 - Today Futureworkplace, Inc. launched www.workinpr.com - the premier jobsite for the global public relations industry. Created in partnership with the two leading U.S. PR associations - the Public Relations Society of America and the Council of Public Relations Firms - workinpr.com offers PR professionals and employers highly sophisticated search capabilities, in addition to providing valuable, up to date industry research and career information.

With the technology boom and global competition for corporate brand awareness, the demand for PR professionals is at an all-time high. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that PR jobs are expected to increase faster than the average for all other occupations through the year 2006.

"Workinpr.com was created to address a specific need in the PR marketplace," said Renee Dunn, President of Futureworkplace, Inc., "PR is one of the highest growth occupations in the U.S., yet there are very few credible online resources available - and no comprehensive jobsites that are customized for the PR industry. Workinpr.com's mission is to attract talented people to the profession, and help Ôdemystify' PR by educating candidates and employers about the strategic value PR brings to business," Dunn continued.

Prior to their launch, Futureworkplace, Inc. conducted a PR Recruitment Survey of CEOs and HR managers from 30 worldwide PR firms and corporations who said their biggest business challenge is attracting qualified candidates. Nearly 70% of firms consider attracting candidates their "biggest challenge" (second, with 42%, was offering a competitive salary). Yet surprisingly, on average, these firms said they spend only 5-10% of their total Human Resources budget on recruitment.

"Everyone knows there's a tight labor market today - that's a no brainer," continued Dunn, "What's interesting about our research is that companies clearly need to make more of a financial investment in recruitment if they want to get results. It is not enough anymore for an organization to broadly advertise on Monster.com for all their open positions. Businesses need to get smarter about where they are recruiting to ensure they get access to the most qualified candidates in their industry," Dunn said.

The launch of workinpr.com illustrates the increasing trend towards more industry-focused, vertical portals. Forrester predicts within four years, 57 percent (57%) of the $22 billion dollars spent on online ads will be spent on vertical sites. Out of the $22 billion, Forrester estimates that $4 billion (over 20%) will be spent on advertising jobs online.

"PR companies need more customized, cost effective recruiting solutions," said Jack Bergen, President of the Council of Public Relations Firms. "We are collaborating with workinpr.com to attract the best candidates, provide quality content and research, and give companies direct access to the most talented candidates in the communications industry," Bergen continued.

PR firms also want lower cost alternatives. In the workinpr.com PR Recruitment Survey, the #1 incentive for companies to recruit online was cost savings. The average cost to fill a job opening using the Web is $152 compared to $1,383 for traditional recruiting methods (i.e. placing daily newspaper ads, hiring search firms), according to a study done by Thomas Weisel Partners LLC. The Survey results also showed that 80% of firms currently recruit online and 100% plan to increase online spending over the next year.

A Non-Traditional Approach
A key goal of both workinpr.com partnerships is to attract new candidates from other professions to the PR industry. Because of the intense candidate shortage (the U.S. Department of Labor estimates there will be a 2 million job surplus by 2003), PR recruiting needs to expand into non-traditional fields such as law, healthcare and education to find people with traits that are transferable.

In addition to the Council, workinpr.com is also partnering with The Public Relations Society of America to develop PR industry research and educational programs at Universities and colleges throughout the country.

"By partnering with the PRSA and the Council of Public Relations Firms, workinpr.com offers the PR industry something it desperately needs: the first credible online jobsite created exclusively for PR professionals," said Ray Gaulke, President and COO of the Public Relations Society of America.

Key Workinpr.com Features
Workinpr.com offers extensive search technologies that allow both employers and job seekers to search by a number of criteria: by industry, specific PR skillset, title, desired salary, location and years of experience. In addition to providing extensive search capabilities, workinpr.com also provides up-to-date industry research and reports, as well as career information and guidelines for the PR industry.

Pricing
All workinpr.com content and services are free for candidates. Employers are charged to post jobs, at $150 per posting. Volume packages are also available, in addition to advertising placements (e.g. banner ads).

Futureworkplace, Inc., creator of workinpr.com, is a privately owned company based in the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington. Its mission is to enhance overall recruitment results for high growth industries. The goal of Futureworkplace, Inc. is to offer professionals and potential employers the most sophisticated search capabilities available, in addition to providing valuable, up to date industry research and information. Futureworkplace was formed in February 2000.

Workinpr.com, a product of Futureworkplace, Inc., is the premiere jobsite for current and future PR professionals.