Basic pay growth only edges down from record pace
Total pay growth slows a bit more sharply
Vacancies fall to lowest since mid2021
Experimental version of jobless rate holds at 4.2
Sterling rises against dollar

LONDON, Nov 14 Reuters Wages in Britain grew slightly less fast in the three months to September after rising at a record pace previously, according to official data that will leave the Bank of England on alert for inflation pressures.

Earnings excluding bonuses were 7.7 higher than a year earlier in the third quarter, the figures from the Office for National Statistics ONS showed on Tuesday, in line with economists39; expectations in a Reuters poll.

The figure represented a slight slowdown in regular pay growth from 7.9 in the previous two ONS reports, the highest since this data series began in 2001.

Britain39;s economy is flatlining as the BoE39;s long run of interest rate hikes squeezes households and businesses. But employers are still struggling to fill vacancies after many workers left the job market during the coronavirus pandemic, with Brexit also reducing the supply of candidates.

The labour market remains very tight and businesses are still struggling to hire the people they need, Alexandra HallChen, a policy adviser at the Institute of Directors, said.

The BoE is watching pay growth as it assesses how much inflation pressure remains in Britain39;s economy after raising interest rates 14 times in a row between December 2021 and August this…