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UK unemployment rises to 2.52 million UK unemployment rises to 2.52 million
(31 minutes later)
UK unemployment has risen to 2.52 million, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.UK unemployment has risen to 2.52 million, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.
ONS figures showed 15,000 more people were unemployed in the three months to the end of March, compared with the previous three months. ONS figures showed 15,000 more people were unemployed in the three months to the end of March, with the unemployment rate now at 7.8%.
The unemployment rate now stands at 7.8%. Jobseeker's Allowance claimants fell by 7,300 last month to 1.52 million.
An ONS spokesman told the BBC the figures suggest the recent period of falling unemployment "seems to have come to an end". But despite this an ONS spokesman told the BBC the figures suggest the recent period of falling unemployment "seems to have come to an end".
Growth in average earnings is also slowing, the ONS figures suggest.
'Reality check'
Average earnings increased by 0.4% in the year to March, compared with a rate of 0.8% in the previous month.
That is the lowest rate of growth since 2009, and means wages are continuing to fall in real terms, with inflation still well above the target rate of 2%.
Employment Minister Mark Hoban described the figures as "disappointing".
But he said the falls in claimant numbers and in youth unemployment were reasons for optimism.
Analysts said the figures were in contrast to recent encouraging data suggesting a slow recovery in the UK economy.
"Following recent positive news on the economy, today's UK labour market data provides something of a reality check," said Martin Beck, economist at Capital Economics.
He said the fall in claimant numbers was one piece of positive news, but said that trend could be temporary.
"With further significant public sector job losses in the pipeline and firms likely to seek to restore productivity by shedding workers, it may not be long before even this narrower measure of unemployment starts to rise too."