Travel companies are missing out on hiring the best applicants because they are taking too long to make decisions, C&M Travel Recruitment has warned.
The warning comes as C&M revealed a 111% increase in new travel jobs in January 2024 compared to December 2023 – the highest in five months.
However, last month’s total was down 38% on the same month in 2023, which saw a very strong start to the year.
The volume of candidates searching for new travel jobs rose 81% from December. Last month’s total was down by 14% from January 2023, but was up by 15% from January 2022.
It was a slower month for placements, with the number of people starting new travel jobs increasing by 4% from December. Compared to previous years, placements were 56% below the level seen in January 2023 and down 41% from both January 2022 and January 2020.
Managing Director Barbara Kolosinska said: “We would always expect to see a big monthly increase in activity each January – and last month we saw just that. New travel job opportunities more than doubled in the month – which is great news for job seekers – and there was also a big 81% rise in new candidates, which will be very much welcomed by employers.
“What we need to see now is a rise in job placements. Some companies are still taking too long to make decisions and are missing out on quality applicants, while others are severely limiting the available talent pool by not widening their recruitment requirements. Hopefully we will see this change throughout 2024.”