Recruitment firm reports sharp rise in new candidates
C&M Recruitment is reporting a 43% rise in the number of new candidates registering their interest in September.
While September is usually a busy month for recruitment, it says the rise was 34% higher than the September average.
There were more new candidates than in any month since March 2012, according to the latest Travel Salary Index from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.
Luckily there was also a large 33% hike in the number of new travel vacancies being made available in the month, with September’s total far ahead of the monthly average.
"September is usually a busy month for travel recruitment, with things settling back to normal after the summer holidays, but this year it was even busier than usual," said director Barbara Kolosinska.
"While we saw big increases in both the number of roles being created and the number of new candidates looking for them, it is now evident that competition has increased for the best roles.
"However, there remains a shortage of quality candidates in the market, with experienced applicants being highly sought after for many positions."
Meanwhile, there was a small rise in average wages for a new job in travel in September – up 0.65% rise to reach £24,695.
There was also a 1.95% salary increase for new standard travel roles (those paying up to £40,000), while standard wages have now risen to an average of £20,857 which is a new high for 2015.
Salaries for executive positions (higher than £40,000 per year) rebounded in September after a tepid summer, although the number of senior vacancies being created continues to be weak.
"It’s been a quiet summer for executive travel salaries, but the opposite is true for standard travel wages, which have risen annually in six of the last seven months," said Kolosinska.
"Job seekers might be pleasantly surprised by the wages currently on offer for many roles."
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.
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