Brazil's June unemployment rate highest since 2010

Brazil's government says the jobless rate in Latin America's largest country rose for the sixth straight month in June.

The country's IBGE statistics bureau said Thursday that the unemployment rate in June was 6.9 percent, against 6.7 percent in May and 4.8 percent in June of last year.

IBGE said it was the highest June unemployment rate since 7.0 percent was posted in 2010.

The jobless rate has been rising since last December, when it hit record low of 4.3 percent.

Unemployment has been rising as a result of a contracting economy that has led to layoffs in the manufacturing and service sectors.

IBGE said that the jobless population in June remained stable at 1.7 million, but was almost 44.9 percent higher than in June 2014.