David Leonhardt on the Americans behind the 8.1 percent unemployment rate Listen Download Embed Share Share this on Facebook (Opens in a new window) Share this on Twitter (Opens in a new window) Share this via Email A 10-year unemployment chart shows recent increases in the current recession. The jobless rate reached 8.1 percent in February 2009. ( U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ) Hosted by Farai Chideya Produced by New York Times, PRI and WNYC