Average pay for a new job in the travel industry jumped by almost 13% in the first half of the year to reach £37,747, according to a new salary survey.
However, much of the increase appears to be due to the large number of roles with salaries between £40,000 and £55,000 which skewed the overall figure upwards.
Despite this, the lack of new roles above £60,000 caused the average senior travel salary to drop.
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With a figure of £53,925, senior wages fell by 8.19% at the start of 2024 following a 17.03% hike in the same months last year, according to C&M Travel Recruitment’s first half travel salary index.
The survey all new vacancies registered with the company during the period threw up a “complex picture”, with travel recruitment activity dropping in the first six months of the year.
The number of new candidates fell by 11% compared to the equivalent period in 2023, while new vacancies dropped by a third (34%) and the amount of new travel jobs being filled fell back by 32%.
The increase in average industry salaries means that the average wage for a new travel job has risen by £4,302 since the first half of 2023. The increase follows a similar rise of 12.58% in the first six months of last year.
At the lower end of the scale, pay for standard travel jobs paying below £40,000 rose by a lesser amount of 6.78% to stand at £31,275. This is a rise of £1,985 from the start of last year and follows an increase of 5.99% in the first half of 2023.
Business travel salaries rose by 12.52% or £4,012 in the first half to £36,046 following an increase of 9.23% at the same time last year.
But corporate travel jobs market “slowed considerably” at the start of 2024 with a 61% decline in the number of candidates being placed in new roles.
C&M director Barbara Kolosinska said: “On the face of it, salaries in the travel industry are increasing by double digits year after year, which is fantastic news, but this isn’t the full story.
“Wages are certainly rising for some in-demand roles and we are seeing an increasing number of positions that are now offering very attractive salaries in the £40,000 to £55,000 range. This is excellent news for candidates at this level who now have a range of roles offering salaries at the same level as similar positions in different industries.
“However, after the big hike in pay for lower-level roles that we saw following the pandemic, wage growth for many of these positions has now stalled. This gives these employees little incentive to re-enter the jobs market and change roles.
“The year has also seen an overall dip in recruitment activity in the travel industry due to a combination of factors.
“After the pandemic, there was an unprecedented increase in travel recruitment between autumn 2021 and spring/summer 2023.
“Many companies filled long-term vacancies during this period using a significant amount of their recruitment budgets, and now have a smaller number of vacancies to fill.
“But with the recent general election providing clarity regarding the government’s position going forward, we’re hopeful that this will inspire confidence and prompt many travel companies to broaden their recruitment plans.”