Official figures show that the number of people claiming unemployment benefit in Britain fell unexpectedly last month, while the number of people out of work rose in the three months to November.
The Office for National Statistics said the number of people claiming jobless benefit fell by 4,100 last month, confounding forecasts for a rise of 1,500 and after a revised 3,200 decline in November.
But the number of people out of work on the internationally-comparable ILO measure rose by 49,000 to just under 2.5 million in the three months to November. This was the biggest rise since March 2010 and it took the jobless rate to 7.9%, in line with forecasts.
Bank of England policymakers will be reassured by data showing that wage growth held steady in the three months to November, suggesting that persistently high inflation and rising public expectations of price rises are not fuelling higher pay settlements.
Average weekly earnings growth including bonuses held at an annual rate of 2.1% in the three months to November, below forecasts for a reading of 2.2%.
Excluding bonuses, the rate was also steady at 2.3% in the three months to November. But the rate for November alone picked up to 2.4%, its highest since February 2009.
