Jobless claims rise unexpectedly in Britain

The number of people unemployed in Britain showed a surprising rise in August, official data showed on Wednesday, pointing to even tougher times once government budget cuts begin in earnest. The so-called claimant count of people registered for unemployment benefit rose by 2,300 last month to reach 1.47 million - the first rise since January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
Economists had forecast a fall of 5,000, according to a poll by Dow Jones Newswires. The number of unemployed people dropped by 8,000 in the three months to the end of July to reach 2.47 million, which offset a record rise in employment of 286,000 over the same period.