C&M Travel Recruitment found the industry’s gender pay differential was “almost solely” attributed to pay disparities for the highest-salaried roles.

Below this, salary gaps were much less significant, with the average female working in a senior role paying between £30,000 and £39,999 taking home £288 (0.86%) less than males.

For those in mid-level positions paying between £22,001 and £29,999, women earned £163 (0.62%) more than men, while for entry-level roles paying up to £22,000, men earned 0.27% or £57 more than comparable women.

The typical female working in travel took home 11.15% less than their male equivalent last year, compared to a gap of 11.5% in 2022 and 14.15% in 2019. This resulted in a gender pay gap of £3,678 in 2023, with women earning an average of £32,989, while men received £36,667.

C&M said this was due to the stark difference in pay for those in highest-salaried jobs. The pay gap for executive roles of £40,000 or more jumped considerably from 14.21% in 2022 to 38.45% in 2023, “with the majority of positions with the very highest salaries being awarded to men”, C&M said.

The research also showed women being awarded most new jobs in the industry, 68.3%, slightly down from 70.7%, but on a par with 2019 and 2018.

In terms of entry-level roles, females took 60%, compared to 70.8% in 2019, while women were awarded 70.7% of all mid-level positions, down from 72.9% in 2019. It was a similar picture for senior travel jobs, with females taking 67.6% of these in 2023, compared to 69.9% in 2019.

When it came to executive roles, women have made great strides, with the highest percentage since C&M’s surveys began in 2014. Females took 67% of all such roles in 2023, up from 53% in 2019 and just 38% in 2018.

The bad news is that men still take the bulk of the very highest-salaried roles. They accounted for 57.9% of all £60,000-plus positions compared to 68.8% in 2019. They also took 62.5% of all roles with salaries of £75,000 and above.

Barbara Kolosinska, C&M managing director, said: "These stats always make for interesting reading, and this year they’ve highlighted two very contrasting points. 

"The positive news is that for the majority of positions in the travel industry, the gender pay gap has been eliminated – which is something to be celebrated. For those seeking an entry-level, mid-level or senior role in the travel industry, candidates can expect to receive the same salary as their counterparts, regardless of their gender.

"However, that is not the case when we look at the top of the industry. It’s encouraging to see that more women are being placed in £40,000-plus roles than just a few years ago, but men are still routinely earning more than females in these positions. And things get even more pronounced when we look at the highest-salaried jobs in travel, with men being awarded the majority of these roles and earning far more than their equivalents.

"The travel industry has come a long way in recent years in terms of pay disparity, but these stats should be a stark reminder that much more needs to be done to target, support and promote women into some of the most senior roles in our sector."