NZ wage inflation slows in first quarter, adding to case for interest rate cut

NZ wage inflation slows in first quarter, adding to case for interest rate cut
By Paul McBeth May 6 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand’s wage inflation slowed in the first three months of the year as an expanding labour market soaked up growing capacity, helping lift participation to a new record. The labour cost index shows private sector wages rose 0.3 percent in the first quarter, slowing from a 0.5 percent pace in December, according to Statistics New Zealand. That’s the slowest pace since the March 2014 quarter. Annual wage inflation for the private sector was unchanged at 1.8 percent. Including the public sector,...