UK Unemployment Rate rises to 3.9% in quarter to January vs. 3.8% expected

• The UK Unemployment Rate climbed to 3.9% in the quarter to January.
• The Claimant Count Change for Britain arrived at 16.8K in January.
• GBP/USD tests lows near 1.2800 after mixed UK jobs data.

The United Kingdom’s (UK) ILO Unemployment Rate rose to 3.9% in three months to January, a tad higher than the 3.8% in December, data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Tuesday. The market expectations were for a 3.8% print in the reported period.

Additional details of the report showed that the number of people claiming jobless benefits rose by 16.8K in February when compared to a gain of 3.1K in January. The market forecast was for a 20.3K increase in the same period.