Depending on where you get your data from you will see that jobs in the travel industry have recently fallen. By as much as 60-85% across the UK, as coronavirus lockdown measures force people to stay at home. Yahoo Finance reports estimate a 61% reduction in job vacancies, while the major UK job boards paint a more accurate and far gloomier picture.
Unsurprisingly, the pandemic is having massive ramifications across the travel industry, which in turn affects the recruitment industry. Businesses and recruiters are quickly finding themselves having to adapt to how they operate. As they prepare for changes that may end up being permanent.
Dramatic drop in vacancies
The latest job board data details just how dramatically recruitment has dropped in the UK across all industries. As firms stop hiring in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In particular, recruitment in the travel industry is down by more than 60%. Recruitment in the hospitality and catering sectors meanwhile have dropped by as much as 85%.
In total, job adverts in the UK have declined by more than 70% in the last 10 weeks.
It’s thought the country can expect to see a significant increase in unemployment as the lockdown continues to impact the business economy.
Recruiters should, therefore, expect to be working in an entirely different landscape with much fewer vacancies and far more competition in the Post-COVID world, with many turning to online recruitment tools and services in order to adapt. Agency recruiters will potentially need to reinvent themselves and diversify, in order to survive.
Online communication tools
Some recruiters are implementing the use of modern online communication tools. Allowing them to hire talent in the travel industry safely while avoiding unnecessary travel and adhering to social distancing guidelines. In particular, a range of video conferencing tools, such as Skype, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams are now allowing recruiters to talk with clients and conduct interviews with job applicants remotely with no in-person contact. In fact, Zoom was downloaded 2.13 million times on March 23, the day the government announced the lockdown — up from 56,000 a day two months earlier. It’s therefore advised for recruiters to download these conferencing tools and learn how to use them. So you’re able to work in this kind of online capacity if necessary.
The future of the travel industry
Airline and cruise ship staff are currently focusing on providing customers with support to navigate cancellations and refunds. Customers are being encouraged to postpone trips rather than outright cancel their travel plans. A recent report found people are even using their time in lockdown to plan future holidays. Good news for the recruitment industry. 55% of people who travel five or more times every year say they will likely book a future holiday during the coronavirus pandemic, while this number increases to 61% for business travellers.
Once lockdown measures are lifted, demand for travel will increase, along with the need for staff industry-wide. Of course, people will naturally be more concerned about staying safe and healthy while travelling than ever before. Recruiters who travel for work will need to take steps to strengthen their immune system to avoid falling ill.
However, online recruitment may continue to become the norm for many businesses moving forward even beyond when people are confident that the threat of coronavirus has passed.
The travel industry has undoubtedly been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. By working with online video conferencing tools, recruiters will be able to fill available vacancies while following safety guidelines. It’s hoped these uncertain times will be followed by an eventual boom in travel and a brighter future.
