What does 2017 hold for travel jobs and salaries?

Barbara Kolosinska, director at C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment, gives her predictions about travel jobs and salaries in 2017…

"Well that was some year! Many of us in the travel industry feel like we’ve seen pretty much everything, but not many years rival 2016 for drama. Much of the fallout from Brexit, Trump, the fall of sterling and the other major events of last year is yet to fully reveal itself, but it’s still possible to plan ahead for whatever 2017 feels like throwing at us.

Good year for travel sales and marketing jobs
Last year we saw a big increase in the number of companies recruiting for marketing and sales jobs and we’re already seeing exactly the same thing this year. If one particular role is going to become more popular as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the economy, then it will be marketing positions.

Companies are going to need to put a sales strategy together and you can only do this once you’ve got a good marketing strategy because sales come from marketing. My prediction for 2017 is that candidates with good marketing experience will be the most in demand, followed by those with sales experience and then reservations.

Mixed year for travel salaries
I think we’re unlikely to see a universal trend developing with travel salaries this year and will instead see fluctuations from sector to sector. The luxury travel market is very competitive and almost recession proof, so I fully expect to see wages increase – and the same is true for the online digital sector. Business travel generally suffers from a lack of quality candidates, meaning salaries are also likely to rise this year due to price wars for the best talent in the sector.

The areas where salaries will probably plateau are likely to be in traditional reservations, tour operator or retail roles at both online and offline travel companies.

One reason why salaries aren’t necessarily going to increase in 2017 as much as in previous years is because most SMEs are now required to have an auto-enrolment pension facility, and this is going to affect their ability to offer pay rises – particularly for the smaller employers. This could mean that we see more companies choosing not to increase salaries but instead offering other benefits including incentive schemes, healthcare, fam trips, gym memberships, flexible hours, homeworking or job sharing. At C&M, we’ve already seen great success from introducing these incentives to our employees.

The unpredictable
Whether it’s adverse weather conditions or acts of terrorism, every year seems to bring unforeseen events that impact the travel industry and it would be unwise to presume that 2017 will be any different. This means it’s almost inevitable that some companies will struggle due to issues they have no control over.

However, we are a robust industry. We have seen it all before and we are resilient. We learn from our experiences and we simply have to be as prepared as possible for any eventualities, no matter how unexpected.

Essentially, there are reasons to be cautious about 2017. We don’t really know what’s around the corner with Brexit – and we certainly don’t know what Trump’s going to do – but we’ve had a very positive start to the year, so let’s make hay while the sun is shining!"