C&M Travel Recruitment has reported a higher drop-out rate by job candidates as they are lured to jobs with extra benefits.
The travel recruitment firm said it was normal to see around 5% of candidates turn down roles offered by the company’s clients but said this had now reached around 10% to 15%.
Speaking on a panel at Travel Weekly’s 2023 People Summit, managing director Barbara Kolosinska said: “We are seeing a lot more job offers turned down because it’s a candidates market. It’s frustrating.”
She stressed it was not “just about the money” for candidates, and cited company policies on issues such as sustainability, well being and mental health, as enticing recruits, particularly younger talent, to switch to a different employer.
She cited a recent example of a candidate turning down one job to work for another employer who had a better sustainability strategy.
“One company had a fairly okay sustainability strategy, the other’s was sky high. The candidate went for that one purely based on the sustainability strategy,” she said.
Saga Travel Group people director Rachel Reddan said her company had introduced popular initiatives last year, including bank holidays staff could use at any time of year and grandparents leave.
“If you don’t celebrate Christmas or Easter, you can choose when to take your bank holidays,” she said, adding: “Grandparents leave has been taken by many colleagues as they reassess that special time of life. That was really appreciated.”