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mpc: 18 Although the labour market remained tight, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) had suggested a further small fall in the employment rate in the three months to August. Private sector employment had now fallen for two years. Business surveys were also consistent with some softening in employment growth, particularly in manufacturing and consumer services; and an informal special survey by the Bank's Agents had suggested that employment growth had been strong in the past six months but was likely to ease in the next six months. The LFS unemployment rate had also fallen in the three months to August, with a further rise in measured inactivity. Taken at face value, the rise in inactivity rather than unemployment might suggest reduced labour supply and a tighter labour market. But it was difficult to interpret without further analysis of the disaggregated data to see who the inactive were and how easily they might be drawn back into the workforce.