By Geoffrey Smith
Investing.com -- The U.K. labor market stayed stronger than expected in December, with the number of benefit claimants rising only moderately.
At the same time, wage growth in November, the last month for which data are available, grew more strongly than expected, rising 6.4% on the year.
The figures add to last week's GDP data in suggesting that the U.K. economy may have fared better at the end of the year than seemed likely only a couple of months earlier as the appointment of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister ended a turbulent time for the bond markets and the government's energy price caps cushioned a heavy blow to disposable income.
The claimant count rose by 19,700, rather than the 19,800 expected by economists, while November's data were revised down to show an increase of only 16,100, rather than the 30,500 initially reported.