Jobless rate at four-year high

AND BUDGET COST HIKES STILL TO HIT

- Edited by GRAHAM HISCOTT

BRITAIN'S jobless rate hit a near four-year high, even before the impact of April's Budget-triggered jump in costs for firms.

The Office for National Statistics said the rate of unemployment rose to 4.5% in the first three months of this year, up from 4.4%, and the highest since June to August 2021.

In a further blow for job-hunters, vacancies also fell by 42,000 in the quarter to April and remain well below pre-pandemic levels, at 761,000.