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Travel salaries fall but the jobs market is brisk
Travel salaries were down more than 3% year on year at the end of 2013, with the average annual pay packet falling to £23,238.
The three month average up to the end of December was down 1.27% to £23,962.
Barbara Kolosinska, sales director at C&M Recruitment Consultancy, said: "December is traditionally a quiet month for travel recruitment, and it was no exception in 2013. The month saw an average fall of 3.58% in salaries for new roles advertised by C&M and Chisholm & Moore, which was the second largest drop that we saw all year.
"However, 2013 was certainly a positive period and the fact that salaries increased annually in nine of the 12 months in the year is a great indication of how encouraging it was."
In addition to the fall in salaries, December also saw a big drop in the number of new candidates registering for travel jobs, with the figure being easily the lowest seen in 2013. However, the end of the year often results in candidates briefly turning their attention away from the jobs market, with 2012 also following a similar pattern.
In more encouraging news for the industry, travel companies showed few signs of looking to reduce their recruitment drive over Christmas, with December seeing only a minimal fall in new vacancies compared to November and remaining well above the 2013 average.
"It’s no surprise that we saw fewer candidates looking for new jobs in December – the month obviously comes with its fair share of distractions! However, we’ve already seen a hugely busy start to January with many new candidates searching for a new role for the New Year," said Kolosinska.
"It’s also extremely encouraging to see so many travel companies continuing to make more jobs available, meaning that it could be a great time for candidates to consider re-entering the jobs market."
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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