The UK saw a whopping 2.26 million people becoming jobless in the three months to April 2009, pushing the unemployment numbers to the highest in 12 years, as the economy continued to reel under recession.
The jobless rate soared to 7.2 per cent in the three months to April, the highest since 1997.
Going by the official figures, the count of jobless people rose by 2,32,000 in the first three months to April to 2.26 million, the most since 1996.
"The number of unemployed people increased by 2,32,000 over the quarter and by 6,05,000 over the year, to reach 2.26 million," the UK's Office of National Statistics said in a statement.
The unemployment rate was 7.2 per cent for the three months to April 2009, up 0.7 over the previous quarter and up 1.9 over the year, it added.
According to the statement, the number of people claiming unemployment benefit grew by 39,000 to 1.54 million in May.
With the financial turmoil hitting them hard, many of the developed economies have seen massive jobless and the unemployment rate in the US crossed 9 per cent in May.
In the UK, the employment rate for the people of working age was 73.3 per cent for the three months to April, down 0.8 from the previous quarter.
"The total number of people in employment for the three months to April 2009 was 29.11 million, down 2,71,000 over the quarter and down 3,99,000 over the year.
"This is the largest quarterly fall in the number of people in employment since comparable records began in 1971," the statement noted.
The Office for National Statistics said the number of jobs fell by 1,08,000 between December 2008 and March 2009 to reach 31.19 million.
"The sector showing the largest fall over the quarter was manufacturing, which fell by 78,000 to reach 2.94 million, the lowest figure since comparable records began in 1978," it added.
In a separate statement, the Office for National Statistics noted that public sector employment rose by 15,000, on a seasonally-adjusted basis, in the first quarter to 6.020 million.
However, jobs in the private sector shrank by 2,86,000 during the same period.
"Employment in central government increased by 12,000. Employment in public corporations increased by 1,000 and local government increased by 2,000," the statement said.
The job vacancies in the UK decreased by 38,000 to as much as 4,44,000 in the three months to May, over the previous quarter, while they fell by 2,30,000 during the year, the office said.
