The number of EU migrants working in Britain has topped two million for the first time, official figures revealed today.

The figure includes more than a million migrants from eastern Europe - including Romania and Bulgaria - who moved to the UK after border controls were dropped.

Once those from outside the EU are taken into account, there are now some 3.2 million foreigners working in the UK.

There are now some 3.18million foreigners working in the UK - up 257,000 over the past year - official figures revealed this morning

Overall, the total number of foreigners working in the UK increased by 257,000 over the past year - some 15 per cent - equivalent to a city the size of Derby.

In 1997 there were just 966,000 foreigners working in the UK - or one in 27 workers. However, this has boomed over the last 18 years to reach just over one in 10 of the workforce.

The record number of workers born outside the UK was revealed in official Office for National Statistics released this morning.

The figures showed there were 189,000 employees from Bulgaria and Romania - up 19 per cent on a year ago.

Restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian people working in the UK were lifted on January 1 last year.

Lord Green, chairman of Migration Watch UK, which campaigns for stricter immigration controls, said more needed to be done to control the numbers arriving in the UK.

He said: 'The number of EU workers has now topped two million for the first time and over one million of these are from Eastern Europe.

'Clearly the Government is going to have to get a grip of EU migration if it wants to bring overall numbers down.'

David Cameron promised to reduce net migration to the 'tens of thousands' but has overseen a surge in foreign workers moving to the UK

Experts said migrants were drawn to the UK because it was easy to find work - but figures released today showed Britain's five year jobs boom may be coming to an end

But Carlos Vargas-Silva, of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said the reason migrants were moving to Britain was because they can easily find jobs.

He said: 'As long as the EU economy remains weak and the UK economy is strong, you are going to see more people come in.'

However, his remarks came as official figures revealed unemployment in the UK had increased for the second month in a row - reaching 1.85 million, surprise new figures revealed this morning.

The jobless total went up by 25,000 in the three months to June, the first time there have been two consecutive rises for two years.

Experts said the figures suggested Britain's five-year jobs boom was 'levelling off'. However, separate figures showed the number of people on the dole fell and wages increased 2.4 per cent in a major boost to workers.

Overall, there were 31 million people in work between April and June - 63,000 fewer than the three months to March, but 354,000 more than a year ago.

Migration Watch chairman Lord Green said the Government needed to get a grip on migration

A record 14.5 million women are in work, while employment for men slumped by 71,000 to just under 16.5 million compared with the previous quarter.

David Freeman from the Office for National Statistics said: 'This is now the second consecutive time we've reported fewer people in work on the quarter.

'While it's too early to conclude that the jobs market is levelling off, these figures certainly strengthen that possibility. Growth in pay, however, remains solid.'

Average earnings increased by 2.4 per cent in the year to June, down by 0.8 per cent on the previous month, but still ahead of inflation.

The number of people classed as economically inactive, including those on long-term sick leave or who have given up looking for work, has increased by 7,000 to just under nine million.

The number of UK nationals in work between April and June increased by 84,000 compared with a year ago to 27.7 million. The total for non-UK nationals increased by 257,000 to 3.1 million.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said despite the recent jump in unemployment there were still two million more people in jobs than in 2010.

He added: 'On top of that, today's figures show job vacancies at a near record high - evidence of the continued confidence of British businesses, and potential for further growth in the UK economy.

'Our one nation government is helping millions across the country to succeed and achieve their full potential. I was particularly pleased to see that wages are continuing to rise - meaning that hardworking people will see a real difference in their pay packets.'

The Government pointed out there were nearly two million more people in work than in 2010, with almost half a million more jobs in the private sector over the last year.

Unemployment has fallen by 221,000 in the last year, and long-term unemployment has been cut by more than 210,000 since 2010