US jobless at highest level for six years

The US unemployment rate took another big leap upward in November to 5.7% - the highest level in six years - as 331,000 more workers lost their jobs, the government reported today.

It marked the second consecutive month of massive job losses as the weak economy continued to stagger from the blow delivered by the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The government said that since March, when the nation’s first recession in a decade began, 1.2 million Americans have lost their jobs.

President George Bush called the sharp increase in unemployment troubling and pressed Congress anew to pass the economic stimulus plan he put forward in October.

Democrats have balked, demanding that it be changed to provide more help to low-income Americans and the unemployed. But the administration insists that its mix of tax cuts for individuals and businesses will stimulate more growth.

’’The most important thing we can do for unemployed workers and those concerned about their jobs is to get the economy growing,’’ Bush said.

Analysts said Friday’s jobless report represented a dash of cold water over hopes that had been building in financial markets that the recovery had already bottomed out and a rebound was under way.

’’We had a little bit of false euphoria over the past 10 days. This report brings us back to reality,’’ said Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at ABN Amro of Chicago.