Wage growth slows slightly over summer

Getty Images

Wage growth in the UK cooled slightly over the summer, as unemployment ticked up slightly.

Annual growth in employees' average earnings was 4.7% in the three months to August, down from 4.8% over the previous three months.

The national unemployment rate was 4.8% in August, a slight increase from 4.7% in July.

The ONS has said the unemployment figures should be treated with caution and it is taking additional steps to address concerns about the quality of the data.

Private sector earnings growth was the lowest in four years but was still ahead of inflation.

Annual earnings growth in real terms was 0.6% for regular pay and 0.8% including bonuses.