LONDON: Online job adverts in Britain rose in late November but remained lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's statistics office said on Thursday.

"Total online job adverts between 20 November and 27 November 2020, increased by six percentage points but are still only 77pc of the level seen in the same week last year," the Office for National Statistics said.

Britain's unemployment rate is expected to continue rising sharply, even after finance minister Rishi Sunak extended an emergency jobs subsidy programme until the end of March.