British Unemployment Rises Unexpectedly in Apr.-June

LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Britain's unemployment figure rose by 38,000 to 2.49 million in the three months to June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday.

The increase came as quite surprising and disappointing because the figure had been generally expected to fall further after dropping for four consecutive months.

The ONS also said number of people claiming Jobseekers' Allowance increased by 37,100 in July to 1.56 million, the largest jump since May 2009. This number has been rising for three months in a row.

The number of unemployed people between 16 and 24 years old rose by 15,000 to 949,000 in April-June, leaving a youth unemployment rate of 20.2 percent.

In the meantime, people with part-time work for not being able to find full-time jobs increased by 83,000 to 1.26 million.