Last month was the busiest August for travel job placements in more than decade, according to figures from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.
Despite a 10% dip from July, August was an “unusually busy” month for the end of summer, with more candidates being placed in new travel jobs than in any other August since the index began in 2012.
Last month saw a 68% year-on-year increase and was up by 17% from August 2019.
However, the number of new candidates searching for travel jobs dipped to its lowest level since April, largely as a result of the summer holidays.
Traditionally the second quietest month of the year for travel recruitment behind December, last month’s figure for new candidates was down by 11% from August 2021, and down 5% from August 2019.
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It was also a slower month for new travel vacancies, which slipped back to their lowest point since last December.
Despite this, August 2022’s figure was up 27% year-on-year.
Barbara Kolosinska, managing director at C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment, said: “Although not quite matching the highs seen earlier in 2022, last month was the busiest August that we’ve seen in at least a decade for travel job placements.
“Overall, vacancies in the travel industry also remain at historic highs, and we are having to actively consult with many of our clients to be creative in terms of attracting the right talent for their company.
“Despite this, August was also the slowest month for new travel vacancies in some time, and with the rising cost of living on everyone’s minds, it would be easy to conclude that we are witnessing early signs of a change to some companies’ hiring plans.
“However, August is always one of the slowest months of the year for recruitment, so it remains to be seen how much of an impact financial concerns are having.
“Thankfully, we’ve already seen a significant bounce-back in activity so far in September.”