Britain's unemployment rate will edge up to 9 percent in the first quarter of 2013 from 8.4 percent in the end of last year, said the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) on Monday.
BCC, a leading business organization in Britain, said the unemployment population is predicted to make a net increase of some 230,000 to top 2.90 million in the first quarter of 2013 from 2.67 million in October-December 2011.
Unemployment in the 18-24 age group is forecast to total around 850,000, with a jobless rate of 23 percent in the last quarter of this year.
Statistics showed that youth unemployment is currently at a record high in Britain, with 1.04 million or 22.2 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds without a job.
According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in January increased by 6,900 to 1.6 million.
It also predicted that Britain's annual consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, will ease to 2.7 percent in 2012 and further down to 1.9 percent in 2013, compared with 4.5 percent in 2011.
Annual average retail price index (RPI) inflation, which was 5.2 percent last year, is expected to stay at 3.2 percent in 2012 and 2.3 percent in 2013./.