Recruitment slows amid uncertainty Juliet Dennis


Travel firms are increasingly cautious about recruiting staff due to economic uncertainty as well as the hike in national insurance costs and proposed employment law changes, according to C&M Travel Recruitment. Co-owner and managing director


Barbara Kolosinska told this year’s ABC Live recruitment and law forum the number of jobs advertised by the firm was down 8% in August on the same month last year and 6.5% down for the year to date on 2024. Describing the travel recruitment


market as “buoyant” but not “amazing”, she said: “The issue


we have in our sector is there are not as many vacancies.” She said uncertainty in the


general economy was feeding hesitancy, adding: “We’re finding clients [companies] are a little bit more cautious; they don’t necessarily want to increase their headcount because they don’t know what is going to happen [in the economy].” Fears about tax rises and


fiscal constraints for employers and the labour market were cited for the nervousness. But Kolosinska also pointed to


this year’s hike in national insurance contributions for putting companies off recruitment as well as proposed changes under the Employment


Airports disruption highlights growing cyberattack threat


Ian Taylor


A “criminal” ransomware attack was to blame for disrupting Heathrow and other major European airports at the weekend, according to the EU’s cybersecurity agency. The attack, discovered on Friday


evening, targeted the multi-user system environment (Muse) software which allows multiple airlines to use the same check-in desks and boarding gates. The EU agency ENISA did not


identify those responsible. However, chancellor Rachel Reeves blamed Russia for multiple cyberattacks on Monday, and Russian hackers and criminal gangs have previously been


4 25 SEPTEMBER 2025


identified as acting on behalf of the Russian state. The Muse system is licensed by


US-based Collins Aerospace, part of the aerospace and weapons giant RTX Corporation which won the contract to run Nato’s electronic warfare planning last week – prompting speculation the attack was intended not just to raise money by causing chaos but as an act of cyberwarfare. It caused serious disruption


across several major airports, with some airlines at Heathrow continuing to check in and board passengers manually at the start of this week and no certainty on when normal service might resume. However, about half the airlines at


We’re finding


[travel firms] are a little bit more cautious; they don’t necessarily want to take on more people


Rights Bill, such as the ‘day one’ right for employees to claim unfair dismissal. “It’s the ambiguity of the legislation,” she added. At the same time, Kolosinska


revealed the number of people looking for roles in the travel sector had shrunk. The firm reported a 5% drop in the number of registered candidates in August


on the same month in 2024 and a 7% fall for the year to date. “There is still a talent shortage but


it’s not as bad as it was [immediately post-Covid],” she said, adding candidates were also cautious about applying for new jobs. Kolosinska urged employers


to be proactive when it comes to recruitment and to hire people not just via networking and advertising but by raising awareness of their business. She also advised employers to act fast to avoid recruits accepting counter offers, and to recruit on “culture fit” rather than experience. She added: “Let’s be more agile


and flexible when hiring. Look [and think] outside the box.”


Heathrow


Heathrow were back online on Sunday with British Airways deploying a back- up system, and most disruption was due to delays rather than cancellations. Heathrow insisted: “The vast majority of flights continued to operate.” That was confirmed by aviation


data analyst Cirium which reported Heathrow operating normally on Sunday with 91% of flights departing within 30 minutes of schedule and just 1% cancelled – compared with 13% cancelled at Brussels and barely 36% delayed less than 30 minutes. Two-thirds of flights at Heathrow


(66%) got away within 30 minutes of their scheduled departure on Saturday and 2% were cancelled compared with almost 7% at Brussels and 3% at Berlin.


Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Munich airports were also affected. The minimal number of


cancellations at Heathrow should have left agents and operators chiefly rebooking passengers who missed connecting flights due to delays. Disruption at Brussels continued


into this week with the airport requesting airlines cancel half their scheduled departures on Monday, saying it was still “unclear” when the issue would be resolved. The attack highlighted air travel’s


vulnerability to cyber disruption amid heightened international tension. French aerospace company Thales reported the number of cyberattacks on aviation rose 600% in the past year.


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Tupungato


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