5.5%

The nation's unemployment rate shot up to 5.5% in May -- the biggest jump since 1986.

America lost 49,000 jobs. (AP)

Pink Slips in a Hurricane

Roughtly 80,000 Americans lost their jobs in March. That sent the unemployment rate up to 5.1%. The housing crisis is turning into a Category 5 economic storm. From the Associated Press:

The unemployment rate was the highest since September 2005, when significant job losses followed the devastating blows of Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Blame the housing, credit and financial sectors for the bulk of the layoffs.