Jobless rate climbs as 51,000 jobs vanish

By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer
2 hours, 19 minutes ago

Stores, factories and other businesses large and small showed workers the door last month, sending unemployment to its highest rate in four years and adding to the evidence an economic recovery remains far off.

Employers clamped down on hiring and cut 51,000 jobs in July, the Labor Department said Friday. The economy has shed jobs each month this year — 463,000 in all.

The unemployment rate rose to 5.7 percent, up from 5.5 percent in June.