The number of new travel job vacancies rose to its highest level since February 2020, latest data for last month reveals.
Vacancy numbers in June increased by 42% over the previous month – the previous pandemic-era high.
Job placements were also up by 50% over both May and March figures as the number of job seekers returned to pre-Covid levels last seen in January 2020.
It was the first time in 15 months that the number of new vacancies has topped the benchmark set in March 2020 when the travel industry fell to a near halt midway through the month as Covid-19 hit.
But job openings remained down by 43% compared to pre-pandemic June 2019, although this was the smallest decline since the start of the crisis, according to the latest figures from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.
The number of new candidates jumped by 40% in the month to reach their highest point since January 2020. June’s total number of new candidates was actually up compared to the numbers seen in June 2019 and 2018.
C&M director Barbara Kolosinska said: “We’re trying to not get carried away, but it’s fair to say that recruitment in the travel industry hasn’t been this busy in a long time.
“The number of new travel job vacancies has now increased for eight months in a row – and it jumped by a massive 42% in June.
“With more countries being added to the green list and with some restrictions being eased for those returning from amber destinations, it appears that it will be a much more positive summer for the travel industry than we feared just a few weeks ago.
“This has led many companies to begin recruiting again and search for great travel talent to help them cope with the increased demand.
“As a result, all of C&M’s consultants are now fully back from furlough and are working their full-time hours to help get our great industry moving once again.”