Recruitment difficulties hinder indie agents’ expansion plans

Smaller independent agencies say problems recruiting experienced staff are thwarting expansion plans.

Some agency bosses described staffing challenges as “horrendous”, but reports varied based on company size and location of premises.

Recruitment has generally improved since the Covid pandemic, when firms lost staff and companies struggled to meet the post‑Covid surge in holiday demand because of resourcing difficulties.

More: C&M Travel Recruitment reports ‘strong’ month for job placements

Rising employer costs expected to cause recruitment slowdown

However, latest figures from C&M Travel Recruitment showed a 19% drop in candidates in March compared with the previous month and the same month last year.

ArrangeMY Escape general manager Jennifer Lynch described a feeling of “dread” among agency owners when it came to recruitment.
She said: “A lot of agents dread it because recruitment is hard. Often you have to train staff from scratch.” 

Lynch said it was “already niggling away” that she would need to recruit for a third shop even though it was unlikely to be for another 12 months.

Rising national insurance costs and business rates also meant agencies had to make more money to justify recruitment and expansion, she said.

Lynch’s views were echoed by Ellie Fowler, co-owner of The Travel Business, who aims to double headcount by next year. She said: “It’s definitely harder than before. The process is horrendous, and being in Wales brings complications with a smaller pool. In Newport there are quite a few agencies in a very small area.”

Fowler attributed the difficulties to experienced people leaving the industry, a competitive market and some new-to-travel recruits “not appreciating the hard work needed”.

Club Voyages founder Sam Ballard, who set up his shop in Leicester last year, is also hoping to “at least double” headcount by next year.

“It’s really difficult,” he said. “We’re in a position where we want to expand but the biggest thing holding us back is getting the right people in.”

Ballard added that few experienced agents were applying. 

Ian Gilder, managing director at Adore Cruises, said difficulties hiring for the company’s newest shop in Horbury, West Yorkshire, meant he was forced to drive 184 miles from his shop in Epping, Essex, to fill in.  

Gilder highlighted rising staff costs as an additional challenge and said the increase in the national living wage had “not made it easy”. 

Julie Kendrick, head of commercial at Spear Travels, said recruitment was “still challenging in certain areas”, citing its Thame and Stoke branches, which “struggled to get applicants”.

Seaside Travel head of business and commercial Paula Gleeson agreed the challenges could vary by location, saying a new shop in the Low Fell area of Gateshead had been “the easiest so far in terms of staffing”, while one in Amble, Northumberland, did not attract “anywhere near” the number of experienced applicants.

Other larger and mid-sized chains, including Althams Travel and East of England Co-op Travel, said they had “thankfully” not experienced recent recruitment challenges. 

Barbara Kolosinska, managing director of C&M Travel Recruitment, said recruitment remained tough for agencies four years on from the easing of Covid restrictions.

“There is still a candidate shortage although it’s not like it was immediately post-pandemic,” she said. “For agencies looking for experienced staff, the location, reputation and type of agency can affect recruitment.”

She suggested retailers could be losing recruits to more flexible jobs, adding: “Candidates want hybrid roles.”