“UK jobs growth was more robust than expected in the three months to January, rising by over 90,000 compared to the previous three months. The momentum of jobs growth actually looks somewhat stronger now than a few months ago, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.7%, its lowest level since 1975. For the moment, the jobs market remains in fine fettle.

“There was less good news on average earnings growth, which fell back to just 2.2% in the three months to January. With consumer price inflation already up to 1.8% in January and set to rise further over the coming months, real earnings growth could be back in negative territory by the end of 2017. This is likely to dampen consumer spending, which could eventually feed through into slower jobs growth as well.”