WASHINGTON, Nov 1: The US unemployment rate climbed to 5.7 per cent in October, the government said on Friday, stepping up pressure for an interest rate cut amid fears the economic recovery has hit a bump.

US businesses axed a net 5,000 jobs, the second month of contraction in non-farm payrolls after a drop of 13,000 in September, the Labour Department said.

The unemployment rate was up from 5.6 per cent in September.—AFP