By . Hugo Duncan . Wages are growing at the fastest rate . for nearly seven years for workers taking on new jobs, according to . figures published today. Starting . salaries awarded to people securing a permanent job are rising quicker . than at any time since July 2007 - just months before the near collapse . of Northern Rock. The . report, by accountancy giant KPMG, also shows demand for staff increased . ‘at a marked pace’ last month as firms looked to hire new recruits. Starting salaries awarded to people securing a permanent job are rising quicker than at any time since July 2007 . It . suggests the squeeze on living standards is coming to an end in a . setback for Labour leader Ed Miliband who has put the ‘cost of living . crisis’ at the heart of his general election campaign. But . with the economy now recovering unemployment has fallen to 7.2 per cent . and inflation to 1.7 per cent - the same rate as the average pay rise . in the private sector meaning millions of workers are no longer seeing . their living standards fall. The Government is likely to receive . yet more good news today when the International Monetary Fund publishes . its latest outlook for the world economy. The . global watchdog is expected to raise its forecasts for growth in the UK . with Britain on course to be the strongest major economy in the . developed world this year. The report suggests the squeeze on living standards is coming to an end in a setback for Labour leader Ed Miliband . Speaking . in Brazil yesterday, Chancellor George Osborne said: ‘The British . economy is growing faster than almost any other Western economy and . creating a record number of jobs.’ The . KPMG report shows its index of average salaries awarded to new staff . hit 62.2 in March - the strongest score since before the recession . struck. The score for the number of jobs created eased from a 47-month high of 65.2 in February to a still robust 62.6 last month. Bernard Brown, partner and head of business services at KPMG, said employers are ‘raising the bar’ when it comes to offering pay to new recruits. ‘Britain may not yet be near the levels of full employment that George Osborne committed to last week but anyone looking for a new job must be increasingly confident that their search will soon be over,’ he said. There was particularly strong demand for engineers, construction workers, and experts in IT and computing last month, according to the report. Starting salaries rose fastest in the South and Midlands but the North led the way in terms of the number of permanent jobs created. Tom Hadley, director of policy at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, which compiled the report with KPMG and represents thousands of recruitment agencies and headhunters in the UK, said living standards are starting to rise after years of decline. ‘Starting salaries and hourly pay rates are up as employers battle to entice the talent they need,’ he said. ‘As real wages begin to rise across the jobs market people will start to feel better off.’ Accountancy giant KPMG said demand for staff increased ¿at a marked pace¿ last month as firms looked to hire new recruits . Andrew Hunter, co-founder of jobs website Adzuna, said: ‘More jobs are popping up all over the UK as employers gear up for a busy spring. In many parts of the country there are now more jobs advertised than jobseekers, and top talent is becoming harder to source.‘As vacancies continue to open up, and competition for jobs falls further, employers will be forced to increase advertised wages in order to attract the best talent. Now it is just a question of time until wages begin to pick-up, and jobseekers begin to feel the benefits of cash in their pockets.’ ‘As vacancies continue to open up, and competition for jobs falls further, employers will be forced to increase advertised wages in order to attract the best talent. Now it is just a question of time until wages begin to pick-up, and jobseekers begin to feel the benefits of cash in their pockets.’
The report was carried out by accountancy firm KPMG .
It also shows demand for staff increased ‘at a marked pace’
It suggests the squeeze on living standards is coming to an end .
Ed Miliband has put 'cost of living crisis' at the heart of his campaign .
By . Hugo Duncan . Wages are growing at the fastest rate . for nearly seven years for workers taking on new jobs, according to . figures published today. Starting . salaries awarded to people securing a permanent job are rising quicker . than at any time since July 2007 - just months before the near collapse . of Northern Rock. The . report, by accountancy giant KPMG, also shows demand for staff increased . ‘at a marked pace’ last month as firms looked to hire new recruits. Starting salaries awarded to people securing a permanent job are rising quicker than at any time since July 2007 . It . suggests the squeeze on living standards is coming to an end in a . setback for Labour leader Ed Miliband who has put the ‘cost of living . crisis’ at the heart of his general election campaign. But . with the economy now recovering unemployment has fallen to 7.2 per cent . and inflation to 1.7 per cent - the same rate as the average pay rise . in the private sector meaning millions of workers are no longer seeing . their living standards fall. The Government is likely to receive . yet more good news today when the International Monetary Fund publishes . its latest outlook for the world economy. The . global watchdog is expected to raise its forecasts for growth in the UK . with Britain on course to be the strongest major economy in the . developed world this year. The report suggests the squeeze on living standards is coming to an end in a setback for Labour leader Ed Miliband . Speaking . in Brazil yesterday, Chancellor George Osborne said: ‘The British . economy is growing faster than almost any other Western economy and . creating a record number of jobs.’ The . KPMG report shows its index of average salaries awarded to new staff . hit 62.2 in March - the strongest score since before the recession . struck. The score for the number of jobs created eased from a 47-month high of 65.2 in February to a still robust 62.6 last month. Bernard Brown, partner and head of business services at KPMG, said employers are ‘raising the bar’ when it comes to offering pay to new recruits. ‘Britain may not yet be near the levels of full employment that George Osborne committed to last week but anyone looking for a new job must be increasingly confident that their search will soon be over,’ he said. There was particularly strong demand for engineers, construction workers, and experts in IT and computing last month, according to the report. Starting salaries rose fastest in the South and Midlands but the North led the way in terms of the number of permanent jobs created. Tom Hadley, director of policy at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, which compiled the report with KPMG and represents thousands of recruitment agencies and headhunters in the UK, said living standards are starting to rise after years of decline. ‘Starting salaries and hourly pay rates are up as employers battle to entice the talent they need,’ he said. ‘As real wages begin to rise across the jobs market people will start to feel better off.’ Accountancy giant KPMG said demand for staff increased ¿at a marked pace¿ last month as firms looked to hire new recruits . Andrew Hunter, co-founder of jobs website Adzuna, said: ‘More jobs are popping up all over the UK as employers gear up for a busy spring. In many parts of the country there are now more jobs advertised than jobseekers, and top talent is becoming harder to source.‘As vacancies continue to open up, and competition for jobs falls further, employers will be forced to increase advertised wages in order to attract the best talent. Now it is just a question of time until wages begin to pick-up, and jobseekers begin to feel the benefits of cash in their pockets.’ ‘As vacancies continue to open up, and competition for jobs falls further, employers will be forced to increase advertised wages in order to attract the best talent. Now it is just a question of time until wages begin to pick-up, and jobseekers begin to feel the benefits of cash in their pockets.’
Rock. The . report, by accountancy giant KPMG, also shows demand for staff increased . ‘at a squeeze on living standards is coming to an end has put the ‘cost of living . crisis’ at the heart of his general election campaign. But . The report suggests the squeeze on living said demand for staff increased ¿at a marked