UNEMPLOYMENT in the North rose by 900 in June, bringing the seasonally adjusted total to 86,600 or 11.2 per cent of the workforce.

Commenting on the increase, the Economy Minister, Baroness Denton, said it was largely due to a slightly earlier than usual influx of students completing their higher education courses.

The Minister said she was most concerned about the impact of recent violence on jobs and the Northern economy in the future, particularly the effect that the images flashed around the world would have on future inward investment and tourism.