Big Travel Recruitment Activity Boost Following Thomas Cook Collapse

LONDON - Oct. 18, 2019 - PRLog -- Big Travel Recruitment Activity Boost Following Thomas Cook Collapse

C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment's Travel Salary Index – September 2019

• Candidate numbers rise 14 per cent year-on-year
• Vacancies and placements also increase
• Salaries fall but remain up annually

Busy month for recruitment

The sad demise of Thomas Cook last month led to a large boost in recruitment activity with new candidate, vacancy and placement numbers all rising, according to the latest Travel Salary Index from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment which surveyed all new vacancies registered with the companies during the month.

Despite the company's administration only happening in the final week of the month, the number of new candidates registering for roles in September reached its highest level since January and rose by 14 per cent compared to the same month in 2018. There was also a 9 per cent monthly increase in the number of new travel vacancies being created with many companies in the industry looking at the opportunity to take on some of Thomas Cook's finest employees.

Placements also rose in September with a five per cent monthly increase and a 16 per cent jump compared to the same month in 2018.

Travel wages dip

It was a mixed month for salaries, which dipped in September but still rose year-on-year. The average salary for a new job in travel fell by 1.59 per cent to £28,188 but the 12-month average remained strong with a figure of +5.41 per cent. It was a similar result for standard travel jobs (those paying up to £40,000) which saw wages fall by 4.08 per cent in the month to £24,826 but rise by 3.64 per cent across the past 12 months.

The falls were largely a result of the drop in wages for new travel jobs in the north of the UK which fell by 6.31 per cent in the month to reach £21,895 – their lowest total since May 2018. Salaries in the south also dipped, but by only 1.32 per cent. Meanwhile, it was a busy month for executive jobs in travel (those paying more than £40,000), however the majority were in the £40,000 to £50,000 bracket which also helped to push salaries down overall.

Speaking about the stats, Barbara Kolosinska, Director at C&M Travel Recruitment (http://www.candm.co.uk/), said: "The increase in new candidates last month following the dreadful Thomas Cook news was almost inevitable, but what's great to see is the rise in vacancies with many companies recognising the wealth of talent currently available and creating new opportunities for them."