C&M Travel Recruitment reports while travel salaries continue to increase, the number of new candidate registrations in March has declined to its lowest level since 2011.

It is also the 10th straight month the number of new jobseekers in the travel sector has declined year-on-year, the latest figures from C&M reveal.

Director Barbara Kolosinska said: “It’s hard to say exactly how much impact the prolonged Brexit uncertainty is having on the recruitment market, but it clearly is a factor for many potential candidates, who are choosing to remain in their current roles rather than look for a change.”

Their reticence comes despite average travel salaries increasing 4.15% from February to £27,579, its highest level since last September. The swell is up 2.49% year-on-year versus March 2018 and a 4.71% increase on the rolling 12-month average.

Standard travel salaries (those paying up to £40,000) also increased in March by 2.25% to £24,817, the first monthly increase of the year and a 7.02% increase in the rolling 12-month average. Year-on-year against March 2018 though, the figure is down 1.28%.

"Travel salaries increased by an average 4.15% last month, but more importantly, they rose across all levels of the travel industry from entry positions to executive roles,” said Kolosinska. “This is great to see and means that the average new travel job now pays £669 more than at the same point in 2018.”

Candidate numbers though continue to be a worry for C&M, after registrations fell for the 10th month in a row. “However, now the UK appears to be remaining in the EU until at least the end of October, we’re hopeful we’ll see activity levels improve over the rest of spring and into summer,” Kolosinska added.