Numbers looking for new travel jobs reach ‘five-year high’
More people are searching for new travel jobs than at any point in at least the last five years, according to travel recruitment agency C&M.
March 2017’s total number of new jobseekers set a new all-time record and smashed March 2012’s previous high by more than 100 candidates, it said.
Coupled with the very strong figures recorded in January and February, the total number of people registering in the first quarter of 2017 is up by 55% compared to the same period in 2016.
C&M said it was ‘easily the best start to a year ever recorded on the C&M index’.
There was also an increase in new vacancies, with March seeing a 31% rise from the same month last year and recording the second highest monthly figure since April 2015.
In total, the number of new travel jobs made available in the first three months of 2017 was up by 30% from the first quarter of 2016 and was the best start to a year since C&M’s records began in 2012.
Director Barbara Kolosinska said: "Activity levels reached a new high in the past three months with more job seekers and more new travel vacancies than we can ever remember seeing!
"Thankfully, despite any fears, global events seem to have had little impact on travel recruitment so far with many travel companies looking to take on new employees imminently.
"However, with the volume of job seekers rising by 55% year-on-year compared to a 31% rise in the number of new roles, competition is currently increasing among candidates meaning applicants will need to try increasingly hard to stand out."
The average salary for a new job in travel rose less than 1% in March to £24,988, which was still down 3.35% on March 2016.
The month provided polarising results with wages in London rising to £27,799, their highest point since April 2016, while salaries for the average travel role fell back to £21,963, which was its lowest figure since last October.
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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