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US unemployment rate reaches 5.5% BBC
News The US unemployment rate rose at its fastest pace in more than two decades in May, stoking fears of recession in the world's biggest economy. The surprise jump in May's jobless rate to 5.5% from 5% is the most recent signal yet that US growth is stalling. It shows US companies are more reluctant to hire as profits are squeezed by a consumer slowdown and soaring oil and raw material costs. The US Labor Department said the economy lost 49,000 non-farm jobs.
(Article continues below) It follows a 28,000 decline in April, and will fuel fears the US economy is sliding towards recession, analysts said. The worry is that a weak labour market will see consumers rein in their spending, hurting corporate profits. The poor data rattled the stock market, with the blue-chip Dow Jones index sliding 1.79%, or 225.70 points, to 12378.75 in afternoon trade in New York. Cost of living In recent months, the US Federal Reserve has been slashing interest rates in an attempt to stoke growth. But analysts believe the rising cost of living, rather than interest rates, should be the US central bank's chief concern now. "If you want to avoid a protracted recession, you have to make sure inflation doesn't get out of control," said Gilles Moec, an analyst at Bank of America. "Otherwise, you're going to have a loss of purchasing power meaning consumer spending is going to slow down even more."
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