The Live Register, which measures the number of people receiving unemployment assistance and benefit, rose last month by 9,300 to 164,277, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.
When adjusted for seasonal factors, the increase in those signing on increased by 2,300 last month, the same monthly increase as May.
The increase in June this year was particularly large, especially when compared with the same month last year when the seasonally adjusted figure went up by just 100. The numbers signing on the Live Register normally increases in June with the end of the school year and the termination of part-time contracts.
At 9,333 this is the largest monthly rise since December 1995, reflecting not only seasonal factors but also recent redundancies which have begun to feed through the system.
The CSO said that the unemployment rate has risen to 4.3% in June, from 4.2% in May.
The monthly increase on the Live Register reflected increases in all regions of the country. The largest percentage monthly increases were in the West (7.9%), Mid-West (7.5%) and Midlands (6.7%). The monthly figure for Dublin increased by 5.8%.
In the year to June, the Live Register also increased in all regions, the CSO said. The largest annual percentage increases at a regional level were in the Mid-East (28.7%), Dublin (24.4%) and Mid-West (20.5%).
* Employers' group IBEC said the rise reflected rapidly rising labour costs. 'Wage moderation is an essential prerequisite for recovering lost competitive ground,' said economist Aebhric McGibney.
