The number of people out of work in the UK has risen to its highest level in 14 years. The Office for National Statistics said unemployment increased by 210,000 to 2.47 million in the three months to July, taking the jobless rate to 7.9 per cent. Claims for unemployment benefit in August grew by 24,400 from July to 1.61 million, the highest since May 1997. There have been signs the UK economy is beginning to pick up, but jobless data tends to lag behind other measures. Employment minister Jim Knight said the level of unemployment is now at its highest since May 1995 and the government was doing all it could to get people back into work.