Candidates flooded the travel jobs market in November setting a new record for the month, according to the latest Travel Salary Index from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.
Despite having fallen in every November since the Index began in 2012, the number of new candidate registrations in November 2017 rose by 5% from October and leapt by a huge 69% from November 2016 to set a new benchmark.
It was also a positive month for vacancies with November’s total rising from the same month in 2016, although the figure fell compared to October – a trend that has occurred in every November for at least the last five years.
C&M director Barbara Kolosinska said: "November usually signposts the start of the Christmas slowdown, but last month completely bucked the trend! More candidates searched for travel jobs this November than in any previous year on record, and we also saw an annual increase in the number of new roles being created.
"Of course, the surge in new job seekers that we’ve seen in recent months means that competition for the best roles is becoming fiercer, but there are still many fantastic opportunities available for quality candidates."
The average salary for a new travel job dipped in November by 3.39% to stand at £25,127 – its lowest level since March.
However, wages for standard travel roles (those paying up to £40,000) rose by 3.57% in the month, indicating that the overall fall in wages is a result of the reduced number of higher salaried placements made during November.
It was also the second very strong month in a row for northern wages with a 5.72% increase in November following a 4.34 per cent rise in October.
The average salary for a new travel job in the north of the UK now stands at £23,319 compared to £27,414 in the south.
