Wage growth picked up by more than expected over the three months to September, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which also showed a rise in the unemployment rate.
The ONS said average weekly earnings, excluding bonus payments, rose at an annual rate of 5.7% during the three months to September as more workers secured better deals to help navigate the cost of living crisis and firms moved to retain and attract staff.
That was up from the 5.4% figure last month and above expectations for a rise of 5.5%.
Nevertheless, at 5.7% it remains well below the official rate of inflation at 10.1% meaning real terms pay cuts for workers.
Real wage growth was 3.7% weaker in September when the effects of inflation were included, the ONS said.
The unemployment rate rose to 3.6% from 3.5% as the number of people in employment fell by 52,000.
In August to October, the estimated number of vacancies fell by 46,000 on the quarter to 1,225,000 although the ONS said the number remain at historically high levels.