May’s total, which was up by 15% from April, tied the record figure set in March 2022.

The number of placements was up by 679% from May last year (2021) and up by 122% from May 2019.

It also increased by 36% from May 2018, was up by 31% from May 2017 and higher again by 43% from May 2016.

Meanwhile, the number of new candidates searching for travel jobs reached a 10-month high in May after jumping by 34% from April. Last month’s total was the second highest since January 2020 and was up by 20% from May 2019.
 
Similarly, the number of new travel vacancies rose by 5% in May to reach the second highest level since January 2020.

Barbara Kolosinska, managing director at C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment, said May followed the trend for 2022 and was "another huge month" for travel recruitment.

"Since March, we’ve had the three busiest months we’ve ever seen, with record numbers of candidates being placed in new travel jobs," she added. "Recruitment in the travel industry really is at historic levels right now.
 
"What’s more, May was also a huge month for new travel vacancies, so the boom we’re currently experiencing is clearly not going to end any time soon."

Although candidate volumes are "still not keeping up" with demand, Kolosinska said, the number of new applicants is at a 10-month high.

"With the amount of extremely attractive new travel jobs now on offer, we hope to see even more talent searching for new roles over the summer," she concluded.