Jobless claims in the UK fell unexpectedly in April, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics showed Wednesday.
The claimant count in April was 1.59 million, down 13,700 from the previous month. Economists expected an increase of 5,000. The previous month's change was revised to show a decrease of 5,400 from gain of 3,600 reported earlier.
The claimant count rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent. Economists expected an increase to 5 percent.
The unemployment rate during the three months through March fell by 0.2 percentage points from the previous three months to 8.2 percent. Economists had forecast the rate to be at 8.4 percent.
The number of unemployed persons totaled 2.63 million in the March quarter, down 45,000 from previous three months.
Meanwhile, the statistical office said that the increase in the number of employed was entirely driven by an increase in part-time employment.
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