British employers plan to hire more workers and raise wages at a faster pace in 2018. At the same time, they are afraid that Brexit could make the country a less attractive place for business.
According to the latest CBI/Pertemps Network Group Employment Trends Survey, 51% of firms across the UK will grow their workforce in the year ahead, up from 41% last year.
Slightly more than half of firms will raise wages next year in line with the pace of inflation. This indicates inflation at about 3%, compared to 2.5% currently.
That would match the Bank of England’s forecasts.
Meanwhile, almost two thirds expressed concerns that Britain could become a less attractive place to do business over the next five years, up from 25% in 2015.