Wage increases accelerated in the last quarter, but is still soft enough to keep the Reserve Bank from hiking interest rates anytime soon. The labour cost index rose 0.6 percent in the last...

Improving economic conditions and skill shortages are expected to bring salary increases next year.

John Key has told employers that new National policies including lower wages for many teenagers.

The teenage part-time workforce fell from 51,200 in 2007 to 35,500 this year.