“The slight fall in wage growth suggests that the gradual loosening of the labour market may be starting to feed through into employer decisions on pay. With inflation forecast to increase at least in the short-term, attention will be on real pay growth going forwards which is on a downward trend.
“In light of the uptick in unemployment compared to the last quarter and further fall in vacancies against an uncertain economic backdrop, policy makers should be taking further steps now to support employers to recruit and invest to train staff.
“A key priority for the Government should be to consult meaningfully on key measures in the Employment Rights Bill still to be decided in secondary legislation, to ensure they don’t act as a further headwind on employment growth and add cost and complexity to the process of recruiting and managing staff.
“Just as important, there is a need to strengthen steps to support young people in securing training and employment as they face particular obstacles to finding work when job opportunities are on the decline.”
