A strong Peaks means many travel companies are looking to hire new staff, according to recruitment company C&M.
Managing Director Barbara Kolosinska said that while job vacancies were down 21% last year, early signs suggested 2025 could be much busier.
“With the Peaks season performing well, many travel companies are looking to ramp up their recruitment across the coming months, which will create great opportunities for candidates as well as increased competition to secure the top talent,” she said.
Further good news for job seekers is that the average pay for new travel jobs rose 8.43% to an average of £37,036 last year, according to C&M’s annual Travel Salary Index.
The figure was based on all new vacancies registered with the company.
The average increase of £2,880 followed rises of 11.5% in both 2023 and 2022, with typical travel salaries having risen by 34% since 2021.
While wages for standard jobs (those paying below £40,000) typically went up 4.7% in 2024, there was a 5.1% drop in pay for executive roles (those paying £40,000-plus).
However, the percentage of travel employees entering the upper wage bracket has risen considerably in the past two years, said C&M.
The proportion of candidates securing roles paying at least £40,000 was 28% last year, compared to just 9% in 2022.
At the lower end of the wage scale, only 27% of new travel jobs in 2024 paid less than £30,000, compared to 41% in 2023.
There were 5% fewer job seekers last year, following an 8% rise in 2023 and a 26% increase in 2022.
There was a 55% fall in the number of candidates securing new jobs in business travel, though this sector saw wages rise 14% year-on-year to an average of £37,057.
