UK Unemployment Rate ticks up to 4.4% in quarter to November vs. 4.3% expected

• The UK Unemployment Rate rose to 4.4% in three months to November.
• The Claimant Count Change for Britain arrived at 0.7K in December.
• GBP/USD drops further toward 1.2250 after mixed UK employment data.

The United Kingdom's (UK) ILO Unemployment Rate edged higher to 4.4% in the three months to November, the data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Tuesday. The reading aligned with the expectations of 4.3% in the reported period.

Additional details of the report showed that the number of people claiming jobless benefits increased by only 0.7K in December, compared with a revised drop of 25.1K in November, beating the expected 10.3K figure.

The Employment Change data for November came in at 35K versus October's 173K.

Meanwhile, Average Earnings, excluding Bonus, in the UK increased by 5.6% 3M YoY in November versus a 5.2% growth in October. Markets estimated a 5.5% print.

Another measure of wage inflation, Average Earnings, including Bonus, rose 5.6% in the same period after growing by 5.2% in the quarter through October. The data met the expected 5.6% growth.