May’s total was the highest since November 2023, up by 17% compared with April and by 2% when compared with May 2023.

"The travel industry has been short of quality candidates for some time now so it’s great to see new jobseeker numbers have risen to their highest level of the year so far,” said C&M managing director Barbara Kolosinska.

However, the positive outlook was tempered by a 15% month-on-month decrease in the number of candidates placed in new travel roles in May, with the figure also down by 8% compared with May 2023.

Nonetheless, the May total was still the second-highest in the past 10 months, following a surge in April, which Kolosinska said reflected uncertain market conditions.

“With new candidates falling in April then rising in May, while new job placements increased in April but dipped last month, once again we’re seeing inconsistency in the travel recruitment market with no clear trajectory,” Kolosinska continued.

"As we enter the holiday season and the added distractions of the Euros, we’re unlikely to see a big increase in overall activity, but this could create opportunities for companies to snap up quality candidates searching for new travel roles over the quieter summer months."

The data also revealed 5% month-on-month fall in the number of new travel job vacancies, with May’s total proving the lowest so far this year.