British unemployment steadies ahead of Brexit vote

Britain's unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent in the three months to June, official data showed Wednesday, but is expected to rise in the coming months owing to Brexit. 

The quarterly reading -- a low for almost 11 years -- matched the figure for the three months to the end of May, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

Analysts expect the unemployment situation to worsen however in the coming months.

"The UK labour market data for the three months to June looks good, but we doubt that this will remain the case given the deterioration in business surveys following the Brexit vote," said ING bank economist James Knightley.

The ONS added that 1.64 million people were officially unemployed in the reporting period, down 207,000 compared with one year earlier.