Jobless claims in Germany rose strongly in June due to the registration of Ukrainian refugees in the German labor market, the Federal Employment Agency said Thursday.

Jobless claims rose by 133,000 on month after declining by 5,000 in May. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a decline of 5,000.

The adjusted unemployment rate was at 5.3% in June, up from 5.0% in May and above the forecast of economists polled by the Journal of 5.0%.

The number of registered job vacancies stood at 877,000 in June, up 184,000 on year, the agency said.

Write to Maria Martinez at maria.martinez@wsj.com