Weekly earnings data show a divide

Average weekly earnings for the whole economy showed a 0.7% increase in October, latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.

Manufacturing and public sector earnings have held up well, services and the private sector less so.

The private sector saw earnings fall by 0.4 % year-on-year — shrinking bonus payments were the main problem showing a 14.8% drop. Meanwhile, private services earnings were 0.8% down, but the bonus element here was down by 14.7%.