(KUNA) -- Speaking to American military veterans, U.S. President Barack B.O.Obama said Friday more job growth is needed and predicted the U.S. economy will improve over time.
Commenting on a Labor Department report that 154,000 jobs were created in July and the jobless rate ticked down slightly to 9.1 percent, Obama said, "We've got to do better than that." "We are going to get through this. Things will get better and we're going to get there together," he said.
Citing the recent U.S. debt talks, the Japan earthquake and tsunami, revolts in Arab countries and the European debt crisis as factors contributing to slack growth, Obama said this has been a tumultuous year. When the U.S. Congress returns to work in September, Obama said he wants politicians to move quickly on job-creating steps such as extending a payroll tax cut.
To get job growth back on a solid footing "no doubt will take some time," the president said.