Unemployment in Britain rose by 48,000 to 2.67 million in the three months to December.
Women made up two-thirds of the increase and there was a new record in the number of people working part-time who want full-time jobs.
The Office for National Statistics said the unemployment rate edged up to 8.4%, the highest for 16 years.
The BBC reports there was also a new record for the number of young people without jobs.
The number of people in jobs went up by 60,000 in the last three months of the year to 29,13 million.
