- Travel vacancy and candidate numbers reach new highs
- Average travel salaries also set new record figure
- Southern salaries rise to new high, but northern wages dip
Travel recruitment activity hits new peak
The travel jobs market set several records last year, including a 22.5 per cent annual increase in new vacancies, according to the 2017 Travel Salary Index from C&M Travel Recruitment, which looked at all new roles registered at the companies during the year.
The double figure increase is easily the biggest annual rise ever recorded on the index, and caps a bumper 12 months which saw vacancy numbers increase year-on-year in every month of 2017.
Last year also saw a huge 40 per cent annual rise in the number of new job seekers, meaning 2017 set a new high which was 19 per cent above the previous record total set in 2013. Candidate numbers increased year-on-year in every month of 2017 with the exception of December, when they dipped by just 1.47 per cent.
Travel salaries set new high
For the third year in a row, the average travel salary for a new job rose steadily and reached £26,031 in 2017 to set another new index high. The 1.58 per cent (£405) annual rise follows increases of 1.80 per cent in 2016 and 1.46 per cent in 2015, with the average new role in travel now paying £1,221 more than in 2014.
There was even stronger wage growth for standard travel jobs (those paying below £40,000), which rose by 5.41 per cent in 2017 to set another record high of £23,073 after having risen by 5.52 per cent in 2016 and 5.27 per cent in 2015.
Meanwhile, salaries for executive travel jobs (those paying more than £40,000) rose by 0.87 per cent to reach £54,582 in 2017 after increasing by 1.53 per cent in 2016, but the average executive pay packet remains below the 2014 peak of £58,418.
South up, but north down
It was an impressive year for travel jobs in the south of the UK as average salaries rose to a record £27,998 after an increase of 1.81 per cent in 2017 following rises of 3.58 per cent in 2016 and 3.40 per cent in 2015. However, it was a different story in the north, which saw wages fall after five years of continual growth. The average new travel job in the north now comes with an average salary of £21,973 which is down by 0.48 per cent from last year’s record high.
Speaking about the year, Barbara Kolosinska, Director at C&M Travel Recruitment, said: “Well, that was simply the busiest year since our Travel Salary Index began in 2012! The number of new travel jobs, candidates and placements all rose to record levels in 2017 and it was a particularly impressive 12 months in terms of the number of jobseekers, which rose by 40 per cent from the previous year.
“The travel industry had to deal with and adapt to a number of challenges in 2017, but fortunately recruitment levels were unaffected and in fact increased from 2016. We also saw salaries rising to record highs across the country, with the annual average wage for a new travel job crossing the £26,000 barrier for the first time.
“Overall, it was an incredibly encouraging year for the travel recruitment sector with lots to celebrate - and we’re quietly confident that 2018 will be even busier.”
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All figures are drawn from the salaries of the new vacancies advertised with C&M Travel Recruitment.
C&M Travel Recruitment was established in 1998 and is the largest and most successful specialist travel recruitment company in the UK.
For further information please contact: Owen Mckeon (Content Manager - 0161 238 4497 / owen@candm.co.uk) or Barbara Kolosinska (Director - 07507 602 069 / barbara@candm.co.uk).