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Data from the Office for National Statistics reveal that more than 138,000 people became unemployed in February, taking the total number to more than two million.
There was also a revision of the increase in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits last month from 73,800 to 93,500.
Industrial disputes led to seven stoppages and the loss of 7,000 working days.
Howard Archer, chief UK economist at Global Insight, told the Daily Telegraph: "Sharply rising unemployment, along with slowing income growth, seems highly likely to increasingly depress consumer spending over the coming months."
Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank economist George Buckley described the jobless figures as "horrendous".
A recent report from the consultancy firm Oxford Economics said that more than one million more jobs are likely to be lost in the UK over the next year.
