With the first week of the school holiday starting for UK schools today and the peak period for UK airports beginning, a new survey of industry workers has revealed that almost half of all airport and airline workers are now considering leaving the beleaguered industry.
Interestingly, only 5% report wanting to leave due to the current situation at UK airports, only 4.2% said it was due to angry and unreasonable passengers and just 4.2% said the job was affecting their mental health.
67.2% of all those surveyed claim that they haven’t had a pay rise in the last 12 months, with a whopping 82% having no additional or enhanced benefits over this period either.
In a further blow to industry bosses who were hoping to entice back employees who left during the pandemic, the main reason for not returning is also poor pay. Having had a recent airport experience/ reading the press and concluding it’s too stressful and having now found a far better job were the other most popular responses.
Lee Biggins, Founder and CEO of CV-Library, that conducted the survey, said: “With the industry in such disarray, it comes as no surprise that so many airport workers are considering leaving. Attempts to turn things around have so far missed the mark and, with peak season now upon us, urgent action is required. Based on our data and the voice of both current and ex airline and airport workers, if salary levels and benefits were enhanced, the crisis could be severely dampened.”
Biggins continues: “The industry has seen an increase of +6.2% new and active candidates over pre-pandemic levels but, with increased demand on household budgets and other industries taking heed of the market and offering more tempting packages, airlines and airports are missing out on securing the crucial staff they need to operate effectively and end the chaos for UK travellers.”