Most travel industry employees have considered quitting to boost their pay, despite being proud to work in the sector.
Travel Weekly’s Working in the Travel Industry 2006 survey found 85% of respondents are proud to tell friends they work in travel.
However, more than three quarters of the 400 people polled said pay does not reflect skills and seven out of 10 have considered leaving travel.
The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association estimates retail has a crippling 30% staff turnover rate with pay being one of the main reasons staff leave.
Six out of 10 people said they have high job satisfaction although opinion was split over long-term prospects, with only 52% believing the trade offers them a secure future.
TSSA travel negotiator Rick Justham was not surprised staff were proud to work in travel saying the industry has a good reputation. “However, the survey shows staff feel they’re not rewarded fairly,” he added.
S8 head of independents Charles Eftichiou conceded pay could be better.
However, he said: “The diversity and human interaction of working in a travel agency makes the day go very quickly compared to working in a supermarket or a bank,” he said.