- Prior 3.9%
- Employment change -156k vs 58k expected
- Prior -21k
- Average weekly earnings +5.6% vs +5.5% 3m/y expected
- Prior +5.6%
- Average weekly earnings (ex bonus) +6.0% vs +5.8% 3m/y expected
- Prior +6.1%
- March payrolls change -67k
- Prior 20k; revised to -18k
It is a bit of a mixed report as the job numbers are rather weak while wages are still holding at higher levels. The revision to the February payrolls sees the UK labour market report back-to-back negative payrolls in Q1. That’s a sign of loosening in the jobs market, with the unemployment rate also ticking higher.
From that perspective, it helps to solidify a pivot towards cutting rates. But with the hotter wage numbers, the BOE might feel vindicated to keep market expectations honed in on an August move.
GBP/USD is marginally lower at 1.2430, down just 0.1% on the day currently.