Rising wages, shrinking buying power
ONS reported annual growth of 6.4% in both total and regular earnings for September to November 2022. After inflation adjustment, both measures fell by 2.6%. These were estimates published in January 2023, describing the earlier period; they should not be presented as today’s pay position or a recommended salary increase.
The useful recruitment lesson is that a rising payslip and improving living standards are different propositions. A candidate may consider a higher nominal salary inadequate once travel, childcare or a change in hours is included. That interpretation belongs in a structured conversation, rather than an assumption about what every applicant requires.
The offer beyond its headline salary
A broad earnings average cannot set the price of a specialist nurse, finance manager or developer. It covers many jobs and can change when the workforce mix changes. Recruiters should compare an approved role budget with recent, relevant candidate evidence and record which requirements are creating resistance in that particular search.
Offer discussions should separate basic pay, variable elements, contracted hours and the cost of attending work. Agree what can be negotiated before reaching final interview. When several candidates raise the same concern, provide the employer with a concise pattern of anonymised feedback and a clear decision request, rather than repeatedly submitting unsuitable expectations.
Build a clearer candidate conversation
Key Med can support candidate engagement and recruitment administration within an agreed brief. That might include recording salary expectations consistently, confirming working-pattern preferences and preparing an exception report for the hiring team. The employer retains decisions about remuneration, benefits and offers; support staff should not imply authority to promise changes they cannot approve.
A practical starting point is a single role with an agreed conversation guide and named escalation owner. Review the reasons candidates continue, pause or decline, alongside interview outcomes. This creates a useful record of the search without claiming that national wage growth predicts an individual placement or guarantees acceptance of the eventual offer.
The source material
- Labour market overview, UK: January 2023 ↗Office for National Statistics · 2023-01-17
Contains Office for National Statistics information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Retrospective briefing · Published 4 November 2026. Historical figures and measures describe their period; consult current official guidance before acting. This article provides operational context. Legal, immigration, clinical and financial decisions need the responsible organisation’s qualified advisers.
