LONDON (Reuters) - Pay deals awarded by British companies so far this year are slightly higher than a year ago, a Bank of England survey of businesses showed on Thursday.
"Pay settlements were generally a little higher this year compared with 2017, averaging 2.5-3.5 pct," the BoE's latest survey collated by its regional representatives said.
"That was attributed to a combination of a tighter labor market and recent above-target CPI inflation."
The BoE is watching closely for signs of improved wage growth as officials figure out when next to raise interest rates.
A separate BoE survey of companies' chief financial officers showed they now on average expect that Brexit will eventually deliver a bigger hit to sales than they thought a year ago of around 3 percent, compared with 2 percent previously, though results vary widely across firms.