UK unemployment rises to 2.5 million

UK unemployment rose by 43,000 in the three months to February, the highest figure since the three months to December 1994, according to figures released today by the Office for National Statistics.

The number of jobless in the UK is now 2.5 million. The unemployment rate is 8%, representing a 0.1% rise from September to November 2009 and the highest rate since 1996. The employment rate was 72.1% over the three months to February, with 28.82 million in employment. This is 0.3% down on the quarter. Total pay, including bonuses, rose 2.3% on the previous year. Vicky Redwood, a senior UK economist at Capital Economics, says the labour market data paints "a mixed picture". "The further drop of 32,900 in the claimant count measure of unemployment in March adds to the recent upbeat ...