Misery Index - Unemployment + Inflation

The Misery Index is an economic indicator found by adding the unemployment rate to the inflation rate. It is assumed that both a higher rate of unemployment and a worsening of inflation create economic and social costs for a country. Tom Brakke at the Research Puzzle put together a nice chart of the Misery Index going back to the early 1970s:

When it comes to measuring the combination of unemployment and inflation, it doesn’t get much more miserable than this. Misery right now is at a 28-year high, reflective of how weak the economic recovery has been and how far there is to go (CNBC)