Hopes that the jobless rate in Britain was finally improving were dashed this month when the number of jobless claimants jumped at an unexpectedly high rate in January, and the highest rate seen in some six months. Economists had expected jobless numbers to fall by about 10,000 for the third month running; instead, they rose almost 24,000. Even despite two previous months of decline, the jump in January catapulted the jobless numbers to their highest since 1997. A broader ILO measure, though, was somewhat reassuring, as it showed that Britain's jobless rates remain significantly below those of the US and the average EU numbers. The January results might present a political blow for the Labour Party, who are counting on a turn of the economic tide to help them out in the upcoming June elections.
See "Jobless claimant count jumps to highest since 1997", The New York Times, February 16, 2010