Official figures show that the number of people claiming unemployment benefit in the UK rose unexpectedly last month. The total number out of work also climbed in the three months to December and pay growth slowed.
The figures highlight the fragility of Britain's labour market even before the bulk of the British government's austerity measures take effect.
The Office for National Statistics said the number of people claiming jobless benefit rose by 2,400 last month. Analysts had forecast a fall of 3,000.
The number of people without a job on the wider ILO measure rose by 44,000 in the three months to December to 2.49 million. The jobless rate held steady at 7.9% as expected.
Unemployment in the 16 to 24 age group rose to 965,000 in the three months to December, the highest since records began in 1992.
Average weekly earnings growth slowed to just 1.8% in the three months to December, less than half the rate of inflation, something that may reassure Bank of England policymakers worried about inflation effects.
Data earlier this week showed consumer price inflation running at 4%, double the central bank's target, while retail price inflation - traditionally the benchmark for wage deals - surged to more than 5%.
