The latest figures from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment claimed February saw a 49% increase in travel placements from the previous month to set a new pandemic-high – standing 15% above the previous best which was recorded in November 2021.

Despite this, last month’s total remained down on the typical February average, with a 10% fall from February 2020 and a 15% dip compared to the same month in 2019.
  
Meanwhile, the number of new candidates searching for travel jobs fell slightly last month by 2%, but remained up by 26% from February 2020 and down by 0.2% from the same month in 2019.
 
The number of new travel job vacancies also fell compared to January with a 26% fall. Compared to previous years, February 2022’s total was up by 14% from 2020, but down by 12% from the same time in 2019.

Barbara Kolosinska, managing director at C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment, said March has got off to an "extremely" busy start with a big increase in recruitment activity from TMCs since the end of February.

"As a recruitment company, our main aim is to find great talent for our clients, so we’re delighted that more candidates were placed in travel roles last month than at any point in the past two years," she added.

Kolosinska said with many companies looking to take on new recruits to help cope with demand, the shortage of experienced travel candidates is continuing to "create issues" for the industry – which will continue until there are "higher salaries, better packages, increased flexibility, career progression opportunities and an all-round more enticing offering" to potential job seekers.