The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that UK unemployment rose by 0.1 percentage points in the three months to May, up from 4.6% in the previous three-month period.
At the same time, average pay growth excluding bonuses fell to 5% during the same period, marking its slowest pace in nearly three years.
These figures indicate growing strain in the UK labour market, just days after the Bank of England governor signalled the Bank could implement larger interest rate cuts if job market conditions continue to weaken.
ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown said: “The labour market continues to weaken, with the number of employees on payroll falling again, though revised tax data shows the decline in recent months is less pronounced than previously estimated.
“Pay growth fell again in both cash and real terms, but both measures remain relatively strong by historic standards.”
