Britain's jobless total has hit the highest level since 1994, official data showed on Wednesday, and is set to rise further in the coming months with the country on course for a return to recession. A total of 2.68 million people were unemployed in November, up 118,000 from a quarter earlier, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.
The unemployment rate rose to 8.4 percent in the three months to November, the highest level for 17 years, the ONS added. Prime Minister David Cameron described the data as "disappointing" and said it was a "tragedy" for people to lose their jobs but stressed that the ONS also pointed out that employment rose by 18,000 in the three months to November.