Wages rise as firms fight skills shortage

Salaries are rising at the fastest pace since 2015 as companies pay higher wages to address a shortage of skilled workers. Wages are struggling to rise in the wider economy but those who move jobs are attracting a premium, recruiters have found, adding to indicators that the sharp fall in unemployment in recent years is at last starting to feed through into earnings. As inflation falls this should start to improve living standards for families this year, economists believe. Business, page 1