What happens to unemployment and employment during a recession and recovery?

Data on national employment, unemployment and the unemployment rate is available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/ces/home.htm. Information on when recessions and recoveries occur is determined by the national Bureau of Economic Research and is available from: http://www.nber.org/cycles.html/

Examine two recessions and the following recoveries to see what has happened to employment, unemployment and the unemployment rate during the recession and recovery periods.

Does employment always increase in a recovery? By how much?

Does the unemployment rate always decrease in a recovery? By how much?