Consumer spending in 2015 was adversely affected by relatively high inflation and unemployment rates of 6.4% and 6.2%, respectively. Fewer than 200,000 new jobs were created between August 2014 and August 2015 compared with an average 2.6 million new jobs created yearly between 2006 and 2012 (World Bank, 2015a). Slower job growth has undermined social outcomes, with the poverty rate rising to 11.1% after a steady decline in the past decade. Consumer spending should benefit from lower inflation and accommodative monetary policy.