Wages grew at a slower pace than expected in the three months to November, official figures show.
Total pay including bonuses rose by 6.5pc, down from 7.2pc in the three months to October.
The Bank of England has said it wants to see wage growth falling before it considers cutting interest rates.
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What happened overnight
Asian shares hit a one-month low as hawkish remarks from central bankers tempered expectations for interest rate cuts and traders waited to hear from the Fed’s influential Christopher Waller.
Tokyo stocks closed lower on Tuesday, snapping a six-day winning streak on profit-taking, after European markets fell on Monday.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index ended down 0.8pc, or 282.61 points, at 35,619.18, while the broader Topix index slid 0.8pc, or 20.62 points, to 2,503.98.
The Hang Seng headed for its worst session of the year, dropping 2pc to a 14-month trough.
China’s blue-chip CSI300 Index dropped 0.4pc by the lunch break, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.6pc. The Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index was down 1.9pc, hitting the lowest level since November 2022.
US stock and Treasury bond markets were shut for Martin Luther King Jr Day on Monday.