Almost 3,000 jobs remain unfilled at UK airports with hundreds of vacancies for low-paid roles such as baggage handlers and cleaners.
Many workers were made redundant by airports and handling agents during the pandemic with hundreds also leaving the industry for other jobs during the Covid travel shutdown. Despite extensive campaigns to recruit more workers and attract former employees back to their old jobs, many posts are still empty.
There are currently 2,884 jobs available in UK airports with airlines also recruiting to fill a further 660 roles, according to International Airport Review. Demand for cleaners has surged by 731 per cent year-on-year with security officer vacancies rising by 200 per cent and 192 more flight attendant roles being advertised, jobs search engine Adzuna reports.
TUI, easyJet and Jet2 are the airlines with the highest number of vacancies, with travel outfits such as Booking.com and TravelEx also hiring. Recruitment firm Staffing Match is offering retention bonuses of £1,000 for airport operative roles.
Airports with the highest number of unfilled vacancies are Birmingham, East Midlands and London Gatwick, according to the data.
Paul Lewis, chief customer officer at Adzuna, said: “The travel industry is back in the air, but many flights remain grounded due to a critical shortage of staff. There is a huge demand for roles such as aircraft cleaners, airport security officers, and flight attendants due to the large numbers that left the field during the pandemic.
"In an attempt to put an end to the recent disruption, easyjet and TUI are seeing a noticeable push in recruitment. The question is, will this be enough?
"With passenger numbers beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels, travel hiring is predicted to keep soaring. The industry may need to learn lessons from other sectors that saw a staff exodus over the pandemic, like hospitality, and expand perks, bonuses, and flexibility to tempt workers back to the sector.”
