No, the number comes from a macroeconomics text book written by Gregory Mankiw and its based on research by Harvey Brennan studying the correlation since the 1950s.
For everyone saying "A 50% increase in unemployment would only take us from 3.8% to 5.7%, that's not bad" keep in mind that 37,000 people die for every 1% increase in unemployment. This man is essentially wishing for the deaths of 70,000 americans.
Edit: just realized he's probably talking about Australia from his accent. Not sure about the numbers for Australia on unemployment deaths, but I imagine the point should still stand.
Nature really showed me their downstairs mixup.