President Barack Obama, seeking to ease voters' concerns about his handling of the U.S. economy, said on Saturday a meeting with his jobs council next week would focus on possible further steps to boost hiring in the short term.
Obama on Monday will visit a clean-energy plant in North Carolina, a likely battleground state in his 2012 re-election bid, where he will consult with a panel of outside advisers on job creation headed by General Electric chief executive Jeffrey Immelt.
Obama's effort to reassure Americans of his commitment to reducing unemployment, which edged up to 9.1 percent last month, comes amid signs of a slowing recovery and opinion polls showing increasing public doubts about his economic policies.
Republican critics accuse Obama of wasteful spending and overregulation that they say obstruct economic growth.
"I wish I could tell you there was a quick fix to our economic problems," Obama said in his weekly radio address. "But the truth is, we didn't get into this mess overnight, and we won't get out of it overnight. It's going to take time."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/11/us-obama-jobs-idUSTRE75852D20110611
