London, Britains unemployment rate rose to 4.2% in the three months through February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Tuesday.

It is the highest level for nearly six months and up from 3.9% in the three months to January.

Most economists had been expecting the rate to only edge up slightly to 4% in the quarter.

The official figures also showed regular wages growth, excluding bonuses, falling back once again, to 6% in the three months to February from 6.1% in the previous three months.

Thanks to falling inflation, when taking the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) into account, real regular wages rose by 2.1%, which is the highest for almost two-and-a-half years.

Source: Qatar News Agency