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Travel job vacancies plummet to eight-year low

Travel vacancies have descended to the lowest level in more than eight years as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the jobs market.

The number of UK related travel jobs has fallen by 38% since the beginning of the year, after experiencing four weeks of consecutive declines in the past month.

New data suggests that the damage from the public health crisis is accelerating as uncertainty continues to grip the UK, according to jobs search engine Adzuna.


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The UK has also lost 35% of advertised vacancies in just seven weeks, the analysis reveals.

The downturn follows calls for the government to make changes to travel package regulations to prevent the loss of thousands of jobs.

The impact on the UK travel industry outweighs the global outlook for the travel industry, which has seen advertised vacancies drop 16%.

Travel bans have caused many airlines to scale back across the UK, with airlines suspending flights as demand for travel collapses.

Positions in the sector can still be found across the country, with roles for travel consultants, travel insurers and customer advisors still available.

However, only 48% of vacancies in the travel industry have been listed as full-time, with the balance being part-time only.

The high proportion of part-time roles suggests employers are holding back on hiring full-time staff amidst coronavirus uncertainty, according to the study.

However, the hospitality sector is the biggest casualty in the UK job market, losing 66% of its advertised vacancies after facing closures across the board.

Adzuna co-founder Andrew Hunter said: “With recent developments within the travel industry and big-name brands such as British Airways, easyJet, Jet2 and Tui all grounding flights or reviewing existing roles for their staff, it’s no surprise to see such a big decrease in available vacancies within the industry.

“We do expect this number to continue declining as we approach the peak of the pandemic here in the UK, along with reductions across the hospitality industry.

“However, during these uncertain times, we are seeing certain industries such as cleaning and domestic help flourishing, or seeing a minimal impact, which is positive.”

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