WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama said better-than-expected jobs data released Friday was positive, but said it was not good enough as the economy struggles out of the deepest slump in decades.
The president noted that new Labor Department figures showed that the economy created 67,000 private sector jobs in August, though did not dwell on the fact the unemployment rate edged up slightly, to 9.6 percent.
"That's positive news and it reflects the steps we have already taken to break the back of this recession," Obama told reporters at the White House.
"But it is not nearly good enough."
Obama said that he would unveil a series of proposals to boost jobs and economic growth next week, and also called on Republicans to drop opposition to an existing small business jobs package currently mired in Congress.
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