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Unemployment in the United Kingdom jumped 0.4%, to 5.8%, this quarter, and the number claiming Jobseeker?s Allowance rose from 36,500 in October to 980,900, the largest monthly increase since 1992. Manufacturing jobs hit their lowest number since records began in the 1970s. The UK economy has entered recession, and is expected to keep contracting through 2009. Unemployment estimates range from 2 million to 2.8 million over the next months. ING economist James Knightley pointed out that the 1990s recession was marked by 31 straight months of rising unemployment. Experts recommend that the Prime Minister make unemployment a top priority in the UK, and that he continues to focus on saving and retaining jobs, rather than increasing funding for unemployment benefits.