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North – south travel wage divide narrows
Average wages in the south of England fell last month but in the north they reached a new yearly high, according to the latest Travel Salary Index from recruitment agency C&M.
Wages rose by almost 6% in the north, reaching an average of £22,672, but in the south they fell by almost 3.5% to £25,751, narrowing the traditional north-south divide.
The drop in the south, combined with a lack of top-end executive roles, dragged the national average salary for a new job down by 2.5% to £24,536.
This was still 1.4% higher than in August 2014 but it was the lowest average for 12 months.
Barbara Kolosinska, director at C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment, said: "The gap between wages in the north and the south has been gradually closing over the past couple of years, but last month saw salaries narrow to their closest level in some time.
"Whether this trend will continue is unclear, but we are certainly seeing more travel companies looking to base some of their higher-paid positions in areas outside of London.
"Having said that, there has been a slowdown this summer in the number of top-end executive roles being made available across the county, with positions carrying salaries in excess of £70,000 being particularly rare."
Defying the traditionally quiet August period, the number of candidates registering for new roles in the month actually increased at the fastest rate since January to reach its highest total in the past five months.
The number of new travel roles being made available was also considerably up compared to August 2014, although there was a small fall from the previous month.
Kolosinska added: "August is usually one of the quietest months of the year for travel recruitment, but 2015 was an exception.
"The number of new travel jobs being created and the volume of candidates looking for new roles were both way up compared to last August, which is a very promising sign for the autumn period."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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