Grim evidence of the nation's deepening economic crisis emerged yesterday as the U.S. Department of Labor reported another 533,000 jobs were lost last month, sending the unemployment rate up to 6.7 percent.

November's job losses were the highest since December 1974 and took the unemployment rate to a 15-year high. The number of unemployed workers jumped to 10.3 million, 2.7 million more than a year ago when economists now say the recession officially began.

The department said 4.7 million of those who lost their job did not expect to be recalled to work. The number of those unemployed for 27 weeks or more was stable at 2.2 million, up 822,000 from a year ago.

The grim news initially shocked the stock market, although it rebounded to close higher. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 259.18, or 3.09 percent, to 8,635.42.

Economists were alarmed by the deteriorating jobs picture and said it increases pressure on President-elect Barack Obama and the next Congress to devise a stimulus package.

"The bad news is that the economy lost 1.3 million jobs over the last three months. The really bad news is that there's no reason to expect this trend to reverse," said Argus Research economist Richard Yamarone.

Said University of Maryland economist Peter Morici: "The threat of a widespread depression is now real and present."

Nigel Gault of IHS Global Insight said a massive fiscal stimulus package is needed "not to kick-start growth but just to arrest the decline."

"We had assumed a $550 billion package over three years. We will need more than that," Mr. Gault said. "The economy is now locked in a vicious downward spiral in which employment, incomes and spending are collapsing together."

The news comes after announcements this week by U.S. Steel, DuPont, AT&T, JPMorgan Chase, Viacom and other companies that they are laying off more than 28,000 workers.

Large job losses were posted by many industries. Professional and business services jobs fell 136,000 last month while the retail industry lost 91,000, manufacturers shed 85,000 and construction employment fell 82,000. Health care was a bright spot, adding 34,000 jobs in November and 369,000 over the last year.

"The number of industries creating jobs at this point is alarmingly low, an indicator of the pervasive scope of the weakness in the job market," the Economic Policy Institute said in a statement.

Mr. Yamarone said until the federal government devises a fiscal package aimed at creating jobs "investors should get used to bleak economic figures."

Yesterday's report elicited the usual prescriptions, including rescuing the Big Three automakers, attacking the trade deficit, convincing China to change its currency policy, reforming management practices at the nation's largest banks and investing in the nation's infrastructure and alternative energy.

"The only way out of America's economic troubles is to create more wealth. Stimulating manufacturing output is the best way to do that and to create the millions of new middle class jobs needed to jump start the economy," said Auggie Tantillo, executive director of the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition.

Morris Segall of SPG Trend Advisors said the recession can't end until consumers are "financially sound and creditworthy."

"Pumping dollars into banks, credit card companies, insurance companies and auto companies will not solve the recession until the consumer starts spending," he said.