The spending power of British workers increased to its highest level in two years in November following the biggest rise in real pay since September 2016. Average weekly earnings, including bonuses, rose by 3.4% on the year, the biggest increase since July 2008 and higher than October’s 3.3%. Adjusting for inflation, which fell to 2.3% in November, average pay increased by 1.1% in real terms. The number of people in employment continued to rise following an increase of 141,000 to a record high of 32.54 million in the three months to November. And the employment rate, which measures the proportion of working age ... (full story)