Despite a rise in the number of people without work, Britain's unemployment rate has held steady at 4.7 percent in the latest quarter. The employment level rose by 90,000 in the three months to Dec. 31 to 28.52 million and the number of people claiming unemployment benefits fell by 11,000 to 813,200. The rise in both unemployment and numbers of people with jobs can be partially explained by an increase in the working population.
See "Britain Unemployment Rate Holds Steady", The New York Times, February 15, 2005