Obama pledges focus on job creation

DURHAM, N.C. -- Beset by a grim employment picture, President Barack Obama on Monday pledged to ease the way for businesses to expand hiring and offered assurances to an anxious public that he is focused on creating jobs -- the top political issue heading into the 2012 election and the Achilles heel of his presidency.

"The sky is not falling," Obama said.

But the president, in a state he narrowly won in 2008, could not ignore dismal recent economic reports.

"Our economic challenges were years in the making," he told workers at an energy-efficient lighting plant in Durham, "and it will take years to get back to where we need to be."

Obama called for educating more high-technology workers, announcing a plan to train 10,000 new American engineers every year through a public-private partnership. He also held a high-profile meeting with top CEOs who make up his advisory jobs council, offering encouragement for several ideas, including a plan that could create an estimated 114,000 jobs by increasing energy efficiencies in commercial and apartment buildings.

The visit to North Carolina illustrated the political high stakes for Obama. By focusing on jobs, Obama provided a counterpoint to his Republican critics.

"Today, the single most serious economic problem we face is getting people back to work," the president said. "We stabilized the economy, we prevented a financial meltdown, and an economy that was shrinking is now growing. ... But, I'm still not satisfied. I will not be satisfied until everyone who wants a good job that offers some security has a good job that offers security."