Investing.com - The jobless rate in the U.K. held steady at a decade-low for the fifth consecutive month in March, though the claimant count unexpectedly fell and average earnings presented a mixed picture when compared to consensus forecasts, official data showed on Wednesday.
The Office for National Statistics said that the rate of unemployment held at 5.1% in the three months to March, in line with expectations.
The claimant count fell by a seasonally adjusted 2,400 in April, compared to expectations for a increase of 4,300 people, and following an advance of 14,700 a month earlier, whose figure was revised from a previously reported gain of 6.700.
The upward revision in the claimant count was the biggest monthly rise since September 2011.
Meanwhile, the average earnings index, including bonuses, rose by a seasonally adjusted 2.0% in the three months to March, above forecasts for a 1.7% increase and after increasing by 1.8% in the three months to February.
Excluding bonuses, wages rose by 2.1%, below forecasts for a 2.3% increase and following a 2.2% increase in the three months to February.
Following the report, GBP/USD traded at 1.4430 from around 1.4435 ahead of the release of the data, while EUR/GBP was at 0.7808 from 0.7802 earlier.
Meanwhile, European stock markets remained broadly lower. London’s FTSE 100 lost 0.55%, the EURO STOXX 50 shed 0.31%, France's CAC 40 fell 0.41%, while Germany's DAX gave up 0.43%.