Britain’s Jobless Rate Rises, to 4.4, for First Time in 2 Yearsbr The unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent from 4.3 percent in the three months to December, according to the Office for National Statistics,br the first increase since the three months to February 2016, as the number of jobless rose for a third monthly report in a row.br Britain’s jobless rate unexpectedly rose unexpectedly for the first time in almost two yearsbr and pay growth remained modest, officials figures released on Wednesday showed.br British government bond prices rose and sterling briefly fell against the American dollar according to the officialbr figures, which showed the sharpest increase in the number of people out of work in almost five years.br Workers’ total earnings, including bonuses, rose by an annual 2.5 percent in the threebr months to December, as expected and unchanged from the three months to November.