UK claimant count jobless surges

The number of Britons out of work and claiming benefit rose for a 10th consecutive month in November and by the largest amount since March 1991, official data showed on Wednesday.

The leap of 75,700 was much more than expected and took the total number of people claiming jobless benefit to over one million for the first time since 2001.

The Office for National Statistics said the broader ILO measure of unemployment surged to its highest level since the three months to June 1999.

In a further sign of a weakening job market, the number of vacancies fell to its lowest level since records began in 2001.