By IRNA,
London : Unemployment in the UK rose by 14,000 to 1.61 million in the three months to March, representing the first increase in more than a year, according to official figures released Wednesday.
Data from the Office for National Statistics also showed that the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance climbed by 7,200 to 806,300 last month.
The latest figures reverse a recent trend, which still shows that the number of unemployed has fallen over the past year to March by around 14,000, reducing the rate by 0.3 per cent to 5.2 per cent.
Works and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said he was “disappointed” to see a rise in unemployment this month, but insisted that overall employment was continuing to grow and the UK economy ” remains well placed to resist global economic pressures.”
“With over 680,000 vacancies in the labour market we are determined to help people get the right skills to fill those jobs and contribute to the economy,” Purcell said.
The jobless rise comes amid much economic uncertainty in the UK, with inflation in April rising by the sharpest monthly increase in almost six years and fears that the country may be heading for a recession.