The failure of Thomas Cook boosted travel recruitment activity last month with a jump in new job seekers, according to new data.
The number of new candidates registering for roles in September reached its highest level since January – rising 14% year-on-year despite the collapse only happening in the final week of the month.
The number of new travel vacancies grew by 9% with many companies looking at the opportunity to take on some of Thomas Cook’s best staff.
Placements also rose in September with a 5% monthly increase and a 16% rise compared to the same month in 2018.
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Barbara Kolosinska, director at travel recruitment specialist C&M, which conducted the salary survey, said: “The increase in new candidates last month following the dreadful Thomas Cook news was almost inevitable, but what’s great to see is the rise in vacancies with many companies recognising the wealth of talent currently available and creating new opportunities for them.
“For those staff who were made redundant and haven’t found a new role yet, we advise them to continue to apply for roles, send your CV directly to travel companies as well as to recruitment agencies, use your existing contacts in the industry and attend the various open days and recruitment events that are being held across the country.”
Salaries dipped in the month by 1.59% for new jobs in travel to £28,188, although the 12-month average remained strong with an increase of 5.41%, the calculations by C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M executive Recruitment found.
Pay fell by 4.08% to £24,826 for jobs paying up to £40,000 but rose by 3.64% across the past 12 months.
The falls were largely a result of the drop in wages for new travel jobs in the north of the country which fell by 6.31% to reach £21,895 – the lowest total since May 2018.
Salaries in the south also dropped, but by only 1.32%.
Meanwhile, it was a busy month for executive jobs paying more than £40,000. However, the majority were in the £40,000-£50,000 bracket, which also helped to push salaries down overall, according to C&M.