Executive pay reaches highest level for three years
A sharp rise in executive travel salaries in December pushed average wages to their highest level all year, according to the latest Travel Salary Index from C&M Travel Recruitment and Chisholm & Moore Executive Recruitment.
Average wages for a job in travel rose by 2.16% last month to reach a new 2014-high of £26,316, with much of this increase being due to typical pay for executive roles (those with salaries above £40,000) rising to their highest level since May 2011.
December saw pay rise across the board with salaries for standard travel roles (those paying up to £40,000) increasing to their highest point since February 2014, while the south saw wages hit their highest level since May 2013 and the north saw average pay reach its highest point since May 2014.
"With wages increasing in both the north and south for both standard and executive roles, December was a great month for those seeking a new travel job," said Barbara Kolosinska, sales director at C&M Travel Recruitment and Chisholm & Moore Executive Recruitment, which looked at all salaries for new jobs registered.
"With uncertainties over the economy still being felt, it has been a challenging year for the travel recruitment industry, but the last quarter of 2014 has been overwhelmingly positive with consistent month-on-month salary increases. This is a great sign for 2015 and we’re very positive that the coming year will be a busy one – not only for the travel recruitment sector, but for the whole of the travel industry."
December saw the usual monthly dip in both the number of new candidates looking for travel jobs and the amount of new vacancies made available, the number of applicants was still significantly up compared to the same month in 2013.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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