KPMG comments on today’s labour market figures

“The unique circumstances which fuelled pay growth, including strong demand for workers and higher pay demands to keep pace with the sharp rise in the cost-of-living, have receded in recent months. Pay growth fell for a third month in a row, pointing to easing pressure.

“The marked slowdown in pay growth will ease the Bank of England’s concerns of a potential wage-price spiral, which could lead to faster falls in inflation. Vacancies are also expected to fall further, which could see pay growth normalising towards levels consistent with the inflation target by the end of the year. This will likely bolster the case for interest rate cuts later this year.

“Pay growth fell to 6.6% in November, down from 7.2% a month earlier as the labour market continued to cool. While unemployment remained relatively low at 4.2%, it is expected to continue trending upwards this year as economic activity remains subdued.”     

-ENDS-

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