MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US unemployment rising hits four year high in July: 5.7%

The United States unemployment rate increased to a four-year high in July according to a Labor Department report issued Friday which shows 5.7% of the US workforce is out of a job, a slight increase from June.

Meanwhile the number of jobs fell by 51,000, marking the seventh straight month of losses. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the administration is "displeased" with the report. But she said the economy remains resilient. The manufacturing and construction industries cut the most jobs. The two sectors have been hit hard by a housing slump and credit crisis having lost about 22,000 jobs in the construction sector and 35,000 jobs in manufacturing. Analysts say job cuts, combined with high energy costs, could impact consumer spending, which drives about two-thirds of the total economy. The newly-revised figure for June shows unemployment was 5.5%. The only major sectors showing job creation were government, hospitality, education and health services