Travel industry salaries for newly advertised roles edged up marginally in May over the previous month, new figures reveal.
The typical new travel job last month came with a salary 0.38% higher than in April at an average of £24,861.
However, this was 1.4% down or £353 down year-on-year – the first year-on-year fall since last August, according to the latest Travel Salary Index from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.
The picture was similar for roles paying salaries below £40,000 with May’s figure rising 0.58% over April, but falling 1.31% over 2014.
A geographical split also emerged last month with new roles in the north of the country increasing by 3.39% – the biggest monthly gain since last September – while salaries in the south dipped by 3.93%.
While the number of candidates searching for travel roles increased slightly in May, there was a sharp drop in new vacancies being made available due to uncertainty over the general election.
While last month’s figure was the smallest since August, the total number of new travel jobs created so far this year was still up by 11.27% compared to the same period in 2014.
Company director, Barbara Kolosinska, said: “May was a very stable month for travel salaries with average wages increasing by just £94 from April.
“In fact, pay for new roles has risen only gradually for the past few months with May’s total being a slim £193 higher than in February.
“While this may initially seem like weak growth, it should actually provide reassurance to both employers and candidates as these consistent figures demonstrate the current stability of the travel industry.”
She added: “The uncertainty of the general election outcome clearly affected travel recruitment plans last month.
“There was a distinct drop in the number of roles being created in May, with the total being the lowest since last August.
“Fortunately, this already appears to be a blip, with June’s early total immediately looking far more positive.”