Wages have grown at their fastest rate since 2012, jumping 3.1% between July-September – but the latest Bureau of Stats data shows it fell short of the 7.3% inflation rate during the same quarter. That means real wages continue to go backwards… Private sector industries, including retail, construction and real estate, led the charge as the scramble for workers bit employers, and workers on minimum wages got a mandatory pay bump that kicked in during July. And in a new report yesterday, the International Monetary Fund urged the Reserve Bank to keep lifting interest rates to bring down inflation and said it’s likely Oz will avoid a recession. So with a bit more money in pay packets and some pep in macroeconomic steps, expect the designer handbags and champagne to flow… The luxury brands say they’ve seen an “unprecedented increase” in profits in 2021. Hey, big spenders…