London: Wage growth in the UK slowed as the unemployment rate rose to a four-year-high, with the jobs market faltering amid concerns about the impact of rising staff costs on businesses.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed in a statement that the latest data showed signs of a "softening" in the labour market, with regular earnings growth falling to 5.6 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared to 5.9 percent in the final quarter of last year.

The Office explained that this indicator is the lowest since November 2024, but confirmed that inflation continues to outpace wage growth, rising by 2.6 percent. It also highlighted that the unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent between January and March, compared to 4.4 percent in the previous quarter, marking the highest level since the quarter from June to August 2021.