UK jobless total soars to highest point since 1994

Britain's jobless total has hit the highest level since late 1994, but the number of people claiming benefits fell by more than expected in March, official data showed on Wednesday. With a general election looming on May 6, economists argued that the mixed data would be difficult to make political capital out of.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement that unemployment rose by 43,000 to 2.502 million people in the three months to February, under the International Labour Organisation measure. That was the highest total since the three months to December 1994, according to the ONS. However, the number of Britons claiming benefits slid last month by 32,900 to 1.54 million people - which was the fourth drop in the last five months.