Indian agency wants to hire those laid off during COVID-19

Delhi-based PR agency ICCPL has said that it will actively prioritise the hiring of PR professionals who have been made redundant because of COVID-19. 

“We noticed that even the [most] talented [professionals] were being terminated or being asked to resign in these tumultuous times,” ICCPL Group founder Dushyant Sinha told PRWeek Asia. “Agencies are finding it difficult as they are losing clients or are not cash-rich enough to absorb the delay in payments from clients."

He added that ICCPL is in a privileged position where it's trying to expand the business and can therefore look to hire affected individuals. Interviews for new hires will be conducted online, and on meeting company requirements, the joining letters will be offered immediately.

“As a competitive PR company, we will not compromise on quality. The competitiveness of our employees has helped us sail through these difficult times and thus it is the main quality that we look for,” said Sinha.

In the few days that ICCPL's announcement was made, Sinha has been bombarded with applications. This, he said, is a “glaring example” of the problem in the industry at the moment.

“Looking at the calls we are getting, I must say COVID-19 has severely affected the PR industry. The need for PR is eternal, once the economic situation improves, the industry will bounce back. In fact, the recovery of the PR industry will start the moment the lockdown is lifted. A lot of companies will require effective communications and PR will be the only cost-effective solution available to them,” he said.

ICCPL has managed to retain all its clients through the pandemic save for “one or two”, according to Sinha. The agency was incepted in 2011 and operates across 17 cities in India, and is looking to expand in Singapore, the Middle East, and the UK. Its speciality is real estate with clients including Ansal Housing, Gaurs, Mahagun, Raheja, Signature Global, DLF, and Eros Group.

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