Travel recruitment slows in May

LONDON - EntSun -- Travel recruitment slows in May

C&M Travel Recruitment's Activity Index – May 2026

• Small dip in new candidates
• Vacancies and placements also down

Activity eases in late spring

Recruitment activity in the travel industry slowed in May as global events continued to impact the market, according to the latest figures from C&M Travel Recruitment.

Candidates, vacancies and placements all fell on both a monthly and annual basis – the first time this has happened since last June.

Holding relatively consistently, the number of new candidates searching for a job in the travel industry dipped slightly in May, with a two per cent fall from May 2025, but a larger 16 per cent decrease from April 2026.

There was also a fall in the number of new travel job opportunities during the month, with May's total falling by seven per cent from April and by 26 per cent from May 2025.

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Rounding out the trio, May saw placements fall back by 33 per cent from April and by 41 per cent from May 2025.

Speaking about the stats, Barbara Kolosinska, Co-Owner and Managing Director at C&M Travel Recruitment (http://www.candm.co.uk/), said: "After an unsteady few months in recruitment, global events are now clearly having an impact on many travel companies' current staffing plans. While it is incredibly difficult to forecast, there are signs that we may be nearing the end of the Iran war and that the next few months could become more stable, but it is simply too early to tell.

"What is clear is that, despite the uncertainty, many candidates are still actively exploring current opportunities – and attractive roles with appealing salaries will be increasingly sought after."

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All figures are drawn from the month's new vacancies advertised with C&M Travel Recruitment.

C&M Travel Recruitment was established in 1998 and is the largest and most successful specialist travel recruitment company in the UK.