Here are four key points to consider regarding this morning's UK labor market figures:

* **Unemployment stays flat:** Matching consensus forecasts, the unemployment rate held steady at 5.1%, which represents a four-year high.

* **Job growth is cooling down:** Hiring activity continues to be sluggish, as monthly payroll employment dropped by 43,000 during December.

* **Wage pressures are easing overall:** For the three months ending in November, annual wage growth dipped slightly to 4.5%, down from the previous 4.6%.

* **Significant wage disparity:** The gap between sectors remains substantial, with public sector growth at 7.8% compared to 3.6% in the private sector.

Given that this data encompasses the period leading up to and immediately following the Budget, attention will now turn to future releases to track how these trends develop.

#economy #markets #UK #unemployment #wages #jobs