The average earnings in Britain increased by 2.0 percent year on year in the three months to December 2011, remaining unchanged from the three months to November, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday.

The ONS said, average regular pay (excluding bonuses) was 439 pounds per week in December 2011, and regular pay rose by 2.0 percent on a year earlier in the last three months of last year, up 0.1 from the three months to November.

The figures show that the average earnings in Britain are well below the inflation rate, indicating that people will continue to cut back on consumption.

The ONS said early this week the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a major gauge for inflation, stood at 3.6 percent in January. Although the CPI rate has hit a 14-month low, the inflation rate is still above the 2 percent target set by the central bank, the Bank of England.

Average total pay in the public sector, excluding financial services, was 466 pounds per week in December 2011, and total pay in the public sector rose by 1.7 percent on a year earlier in the three months to December 2011.

Average regular pay (excluding bonuses) in the private sector was 429 pounds per week in December, and regular pay in the private sector rose by 2.2 percent on a year earlier in the three months to December 2011.