White House welcomes jobs data

A banner reading “Jobs” hangs on the facade of
the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC
© AFP/File Nicholas Kamm

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The White House on Friday welcomed better-than-expected jobs data for July but warned the unemployment rate was still too high despite dropping to 9.1 percent.

The closely watched Labor Department report showed the sluggish US economy created 117,000 jobs last month, boosting hopes that the recovery is not about to degenerate into a double-dip recession.

“While the better than expected report is welcome news, the unemployment rate remains unacceptably high and faster growth is needed to replace the jobs lost in the downturn,” said Austan Goolsbee, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors.

Goolsbee, who leaves his post on Friday, called on Republicans to join President Barack Obama to pass new jobs growth measures including a payroll tax cut and to push stalled free trade pacts through Congress.

Obama was expected to weigh in on the jobs figures later Friday at an event in Washington highlighting his plans to get unemployed veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars into the work force.

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