Real-terms pay continues to fall

Despite record wage rises, real-terms pay is still falling behind inflation, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Excluding bonuses, average pay rose by 5.7% between July and September 2022 - the fastest growth since 2000, excluding the...

Base interest rate rises to 3%

The Bank of England (BoE) has raised the base interest rate from 2.25% to 3% in a bid to curb inflation. The 0.75 percentage point rise is the largest hike since 1989, and the eighth consecutive increase since December 2021. Updated projections from the Bank's...

Third of hospitality businesses at risk of going bust

Over a third of hospitality businesses are at risk of going bust in the new year, according to a new survey by a group of trade associations. The Q4 hospitality members' survey showed that 35% of respondents expected to operate at a loss or be unviable by the end of...

Weekly footfall below pre-pandemic levels

Weekly retail footfall dropped 87% below pre-pandemic levels in the week to 23 October 2022, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Shopping centres only had 80% of the same footfall, while high street footfall was 87% and retail park...

Median real terms pay falls by 2.6%

Median real-term pay for full-time employees fell by 2.6% in the year to April 2022, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). While weekly wages rose by 5.0% between April 2021 (£610) and April 2022 (£640), soaring inflation saw real terms...