Image via Shutterstock
Average travel industry salaries dipped to a yearly low in December together with candidate registrations.
More encouragingly however, more jobs are becoming available in the sector since the turn of the year.
Last month’s fall in travel salaries meant that 2013 ended on a low note, according to the latest travel salary index from C&M Recruitment Consultancy and Chisholm & Moore Executive Recruitment.
The research found that the average salary for new vacancies registered at the companies in the month declined by 3.58% to stand at £23,238, which marked the second largest monthly fall of the year.
December’s average also decreased year on year for only the third time in 2013.
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, the recruitment specialists said.
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.
C&M Recruitment Consultancy sales director Barbara Kolosinska 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.”
She added: “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.
“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.”