Salaries for new travel jobs on the rise
The average salary for a new job in travel fell by almost 2% last month to £26,785, although there was a 1.35% increase year on year.
Last month’s dip was the first fall this year and salaries have increased strongly since December, according to the Travel Salary Index by C&M Recruitment Consultancy.
It said average salaries rose 3.3% in the three months to March and by 4.87% since March 2012.
Sales director Barbara Kolosinska said: "So far this year we have seen average salaries increase strongly compared to the second half of last year and these figures should provide a boost to those looking to find a new travel role.
" It remains to be seen if this pace of growth will continue in the coming months, but there are small signs of increasing confidence among employers."
The figures, taken from new jobs advertised with C&M, show that the average starting salary for a new job in the travel industry increased by an average of 5.12% last year to reach £24,425.
Although this was lower than 2011’s annual increase of 9.77%, it was still above the rate of inflation and notably higher than the 0.2% average salary increase reported by the Office for National Statistics.
As last month’s average wage was £26,785, the starting salaries of new jobs advertised with C&M at the beginning of this year have been significantly higher than those for equivalent positions made available at the end of 2012.
The figure is roughly in line with the national average wage of £26,500, according to research by the Chartered Management Institute which said the average worker’s salary had risen 1.1%.
However, the CMI found that the average chief executive’s pay had risen nearly 16% in the same period, giving them a pay package of £300,000 including bonuses.
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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