Unemployment rate jumped in May

Washington -- The U.S. unemployment rate jumped 0.5 percent in May, with the number of newly unemployed people rising to 3.2 million, the Labor Department said Friday.

The national unemployment rate rose to 5.5 percent.

Newly unemployed people, those who lost jobs within the past five weeks, increased by 760,000 in May, the department said. The number of unemployed for 27 weeks or more also increased, up 197,000 to 1.6 million.

Construction, manufacturing, retail and temporary employment figures continued to fall, while the average wage rose by 5 cents per hour, or 0.3 percent, for the month, the report said.

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