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According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, a total of 9,000 extra individuals were added to the jobless list in May - more than was expected, reports Reuters.
In April, 11,200 extra people were claiming unemployment benefit - the largest increase in two years.
The gloomy economic news adds to the Prime Minister Gordon Brown's woes, who is facing an increasingly potent challenge from a resurgent Conservative Party led by David Cameron.
Unemployment could get even worse in the forthcoming months. Philip Shaw, an economist at Investec, commented: "Given that the slowdown in the economy is expected to continue, unemployment is likely to continue to rise and at a faster rate."
The Press Association reports that between February and April, the number of people out of work in the UK increased by 38,000 to 1.64 million.
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