MNI: 5 Things We Learned From UK Labour>

     By Laurie Laird and David Robinson 

     LONDON (MNI) - The following are the key points from the November 

labour data published Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics. 

     - Early signs of a slowdown in the UK labour market with employment 

falling for the second consecutive period, the first back-to-back falls 

since the first half of 2015. 

     -  The inactivity rate rose by 0.3% to 21.5%, matching the largest 

quarterly increase since 1992.     

     -  However, the data show a striking combination of job vacancies 

rising, by 14,000 on the month to a record high of 798,000 while 

employment fell. This meshes with survey evidence of employers 

struggling to fill posts due to skill shortages. 

     -  Skill shortages may be pushing up on nominal earnings, with 

total rising 2.5% on the year, the fastest pace since the fourth quarter 

of 2016. 

     -  With inflation at 3.0%, real earnings remained negative, with 

total pay falling by 0.2% over the three months to October 2016.  

-London bureau: 44 (0) 203 865 3812; email: ukeditorial@marketnews.com 

[TOPICS: M$B$$$,MABDS$]