Travel companies struggling to fill vacancies, says report
Travel companies in the UK are struggling to fill positions as the number of vacancies rises, according to a report by People 1st.
Its survey on the jobs market in the travel sector found three times as many travel agency employers reported that jobs were hard to fill in 2013 compared to 2011 – 675 compared to 206.
Martin-Christian Kent, executive director at People 1st, believes this is down to a fall in unemployment but also because of the increased demands from employers for staff to have a combination of good customer service and technology skills.
"To differentiate themselves from the market, businesses are going to need to provide a combination of both of these things, and that’s going to be a challenge for both recruiters and recruits," he said.
"Traditionally, this has required people with very different skill set and it is going to be critical to attract people who are naturally people-oriented, but have the confidence to use technology."
The report found that since 2006, there has been a steady fall of 9% in the number of women working in the industry.
"It is not immediately apparent why this is the case, as traditionally such a fall would be consistent with a similar fall in part-time working, which has not occurred," said the report.
"However, it does raise questions whether attracting more women into the industry will help alleviate the hard-to-fill vacancies."
The number of travel agencies reporting vacancies has increased from 13% to 25% between 2011 and 2013, while tour operators have reporting vacancies have doubled.
"It’s clear that the travel industry is recovering from the downward trend it had experienced in the previous five years when industry consolidation due to the financial crisis and a rising number of online bookings had a negative effect," said Kent.
He said another positive trend was that businesses are vastly increasing their investment in training.
"Anecdotal evidence suggests that travel agencies want their staff to have better product knowledge, customer service and to add value by putting together specific packages, which all helps them offer something more than booking directly through the internet.
"Tour operators are also doing this to compete more effectively, specifically around emphasising job-specific skills.
"In fact, between 2011 and 2013 the percentage of employers offering their staff either on or off the job training has increased by 54% in travel agencies and by a huge 234% among tour operators."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps