UK economy unexpectedly stalls on pay strikes

By AFP
Published April 13, 2023

UK public-sector strikes offset good performances in the construction and retail sectors in February - Copyright AFP STR

The UK economy unexpectedly stalled in February with the country facing more strikes as a cost-of-living crisis erodes the value of wages, official data showed Thursday.

The zero-growth performance followed a 0.4-percent expansion in January, the Office for National Statistics said, while the latest reading was worse than analyst expectations.

Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said public-sector strikes including by teachers hit output, while “unseasonably mild weather led to falls in the use of electricity and gas”.

However, construction picked up after a “poor” January and retail won a boost as many shops had a “buoyant month”, he added.

Britain’s economy had rebounded in January after narrowly avoiding recession in the last three months of 2022.

The government and Bank of England say they expect the country to dodge a recession this year despite the cost-of-living crisis as UK inflation remains above 10 percent.