LONDON: The UK unemployment total has risen for the first time in two years, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The ONS said 1.85 million people were unemployed in the March-to-May period, an increase of 15,000 from the previous quarter, with the jobless rate at 5.6%.
The ONS also showed that the pace of pay rises continued to pick up.
Average weekly earnings including bonuses rose at an annual pace of 3.2% in the latest three-month period, the fastest rate in five years.
Pay excluding bonuses rose by 2.8%, which was the highest pace since February 2009.
