The number of claimants rose to almost 2.1 million in April, a rise of over 850,000 from March.
The unemployment rate in the first quarter (January to March) was 3.9%, according to the ONS. This represents a 0.1% rise in unemployment from the previous quarter, though this only included one week of the UK's shutdown.
UK Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey said in a BBC television interview that her department was working to help people back into the labor market once the economy recovers.