Southern wages hit a high, but northern pay falls sharply
Wages for new travel jobs based in the south of the UK rose to a record high in May 2018, while salaries in the north fell sharply.
Average Southern salaries jumped 4.73% to reach £28,960, but there was a big 8.05% fall in the north, with pay dipping to £21,508m, its lowest point since last September.
The figures are revealed in the latest Travel Salary Index from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.
It was an impressive month for new travel jobs in London, with average wages reaching their highest point in over two years at an average of £29,096.
However, salaries for new jobs in travel decreased by 4.82% in May to stand at £25,653, down by 1.59% year-on-year.
Wages for standard travel jobs (those paying up to £40,000) fell by 0.41% in May (or just £99) to £24,052.
Candidate numbers were up 20% from May 2017, up 41% from May 2016 and up 70% from May 2015.
There was also a small 1% monthly increase in the number of new vacancies in May 2018, although this figure was down 9% from the same month last year.
C&M director Barbara Kolosinska said: "We saw a real difference in fortunes across the country last month.
"However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that certain roles are now paying less than they did a few months ago; it is more a reflection of a lack of higher salaried positions being filled in the north in the month. The year started extremely positively so we’re hopeful that this will be a temporary blip.
"Many candidates are certainly extremely eager to see which roles are currently available, with the number of new applicants increasing by another 20 per cent from this time last year. We might not even be half way through 2018 yet, but the signs are looking very promising for another record breaking year."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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