The number of unemployed people in the UK rose to 1.68m between April and June, according to the latest government figures.
The unemployment rate rose by 92,000 in the three months ending in June 2006, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The number of people in employment from April to June was 28.9 million, up 42,000 over the quarter and up 240,000 over the year.
The employment rate for people of working age was 74.6% for the three months ending in June 2006, down 0.1% over the quarter and down 0.2% over the year.
The unemployment rate was 5.5%, up 0.3% over the quarter and up 0.7% over the year, ONS figures showed.
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Average earnings rose 4.3% in the year to June, up 0.2% from the previous month.
