C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment’s 2015 Travel Salary Index

(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - February 4th, 2016 - Standard Travel Salaries Rise 5.3% In 2015

C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment’s 2015 Travel Salary Index

·         Average wages rise a healthy 1.46% in 2015

·         Contrasting fortunes for standard and executive travel jobs

·         South beats north for first time in four year

·         Vacancy numbers rise, but candidates dip

Travel wages rise in 2015

Average travel salaries rose last year to their highest level this decade, according to the 2015 Travel Salary Index from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment, which looked at all new roles registered at the companies during the year. The average new travel job carried a salary of £25,172 which was 1.46 per cent (or £362) higher than in 2014

However, the healthy rise masks a very mixed picture in the travel industry with standard roles (those paying up to £40,000) performing far better than executive positions (those paying above £40,000). On average, new standard travel jobs came with a wage of £20,741 in 2015 which was up annually by 5.27 per cent following a dip of 1.03 per cent in 2014 and a rise of 3.21 per cent in 2013.

On the other hand, there was a large dip in fortunes for executive wages, with the average senior travel salary falling by 8.77 per cent to £53,295. This was the first fall in five years and followed a weak late summer / autumn period for the executive market.

Speaking about the figures, Barbara Kolosinska, Director at C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment said: “With a 1.46 per cent annual increase, travel wages have now risen to their highest point since at least 2009 with no indication that we have peaked yet. The situation is even better for anyone looking for or working in a standard job in the travel industry, as these positions saw a 5.27 per cent salary increase in 2015. This shows that some companies in the industry are certainly willing to pay the right price for the right candidate.

“However, it was a much weaker year for executive positions with salaries falling heavily. Although there was no decrease in the number of senior roles being made available, many companies took longer to commit to a hiring decision in 2015, leading to an overall dip in activity in executive recruitment. Luckily, 2016 has already got off to a very strong start.”

South tops north

For the first time in four years, travel wages have risen faster in the south than in the north. Salaries rose by 3.40 per cent in the south to an average of £26,549 compared to a 1.14 per cent rise to £21,900 in the north. This means the gap in pay between the two areas has now widened again to £4,649 after narrowing from £5,251 in 2012 to £4,234 in 2014.

More jobs on the market

Both the number of new roles and candidates remained relatively static in 2015. Vacancies increased by 2.27 per cent in the year to their second highest level this decade after falling by 3.30 per cent in 2014. Meanwhile, the number of people looking for a new job in travel fell by 3.24 per cent in 2015 following a 1.42 per cent decrease in the previous year.

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All figures are drawn from the salaries of the new vacancies advertised with C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.

C&M Travel Recruitment was established in 1998 and is the largest and most successful specialist travel recruitment company in the UK.

For further information please contact: Owen Mckeon (Content Manager - 0161 238 4497 / owen@candm.co.uk) or Barbara Kolosinska (Director - 07507 602 069 / barbara@candm.co.uk).

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