Britain's jobless total fell by the biggest amount in more than a decade, but the claimant count experienced the largest gain in almost two years, according to mixed official data published on Wednesday.
The number of unemployed tumbled by 88,000 to 2.43 million people in the three months to April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement. That was the greatest decline since the three months to August 2000.
At the same time, however, the number of people claiming benefits rose by 19,600 between April and May to 1.49 million - which marked the biggest increase since July 2009 and was the third successive monthly jump.
Expectations had been for an increase of just 5,000 in the claimant count, according to analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires. However, the figure was inflated by major changes to the benefits system.
Economists also questioned whether the fall in unemployment can be sustained as the economy buckles under the weight of public-sector spending cuts and the prospect of future job losses set to spark industrial action later this month.
"The labour market is currently showing resilience in the face of a struggling economy, but the key question is can it last?" said economist Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight research group.
The ONS added Wednesday that the unemployment rate stood at 7.7 percent in the three months to the end of April. That was unchanged from the rate for the three months to March, but marked a drop from 7.9 percent in the three months to January.
Meanwhile, trade unions representing public sector workers are threatening to hold large-scale strikes later this month, possibly on June 30, to protest against job cuts in the coalition government's deficit-slashing austerity programme.
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