Wages outpace inflation for 18th consecutive month

Wages have been rising faster than inflation for a year-and-a-half

Wages for UK workers have continued to grow, as new figures released on Tuesday (10 September) show wages have been rising faster than inflation for a year-and-a-half, growing by 1.9% in real terms on last year.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics also show that the number of people in employment has risen from the previous year with 3.48 million people employed in the north west.

The unemployment level in the north west is at 156,000 – down by 138,000 since 2010.

The UK labour market has also seen 2.8 million more people employed in higher skilled roles since 2010, plus over 1.9 million more women in employment for the same time period.  

Speaking on Tuesday, Minister for Employment, Mims Davies said: “Wages are consistently rising faster than inflation – now for over a year-and-a-half – meaning we’re seeing a sustained boost in pay, supporting consumer confidence and giving a vital lift to millions of households who gain from greater financial security.

“This joint record employment rate and decades-low unemployment shows our labour market is booming. It’s especially pleasing to see continued record female employment at 72.1%, signalling the great strides we’ve made in empowering women in the workplace, whatever their background.

“There is still more to do. But today’s positive figures again show a thriving, diverse and resilient labour market to be proud of, and we are in great shape for Brexit on 31 October.”