Employment and wage growth soared during the three months to April while the unemployment rate fell, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Annual growth in wages excluding bonuses rose to 7.2% during the three months to April, up from 6.8% in the three months to March. Employment rose by 250,000 in the three months to April, against the Reuters poll forecast for a 162,000 increase. April's data are the first to include the impact of a 9.7% rise in the minimum wage, and will be closely analysed by the BoE as it tries to judge how lasting an effect Britain's recent spell of double-digit inflation has had.
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