Unemployment increased by 50,000 to 1.35 million in the three months to March official figures showed. Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said of the latest unemployment figure, "While only covering the first weeks of restrictions, our figures show COVID-19 is having a major impact on the labour market," Birmingham Mail reported. "In March employment held up well, as furloughed workers ...