Stocks fell on Friday and the Nasdaq fell as much as 1 percent on a sell-off in big-cap technology shares, including Apple .

The U.S. unemployment rate surged to its highest in 25 years, government data showed.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 12.90 points, or 0.20 percent, to 6,581.54. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> slipped 2.95 points, or 0.43 percent, to 679.60. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gave up 15.24 points, or 1.17 percent, at 1,284.35.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by James Dalgleish)