What's going on?

Data was released on Wednesday showing that the employment situation in the UK is worsening ever so slightly � this comes after several years of an improving environment for British workers�(the �labor market�).

What does this mean?

Unemployment rose for the first time in seven months, and wages grew less than they did in previous months (and less than economists were expecting). All in all, it wasn�t a very good report card, but the UK�s labor market has been improving for years (unemployment was above 8% in 2011 and is now just above 5%). So it could simply be that a plateau effect is occurring.

Why should I care?

For you personally: Sorry, smaller�salary increases. Clearly that�s not a good thing for workers. Part of the blame lies with low inflation (a.k.a. prices aren�t rising much): employers sometimes use the inflation rate as the starting point for thinking of raising wages. The good news is that wages have still been going up more than inflation � so, in theory, you�re becoming better off at the end of the day.

The bigger picture: Blame #Brexit for the UK�s stalling economic growth. At least that�s what some economists are doing (including the head of the Bank of England). The uncertainty is quite possibly causing businesses to hold back investing in things like people and machinery until the future environment is clearer � and recent weakness in the value of the pound versus other currencies is reflective of that.