WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama said people need to be patient about the economic recovery and that training workers for manufacturing jobs will help with the turnaround. The recession didn't happen overnight and won't end that way, either, the president said Saturday in his weekly radio and online address. "It's going to take time," Obama said. Recent polling found broad disapproval with Obama's handling of the economy as the 2012 presidential election takes shape. It reached 59 percent in a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Job growth slowed sharply in May and unemployment inched up to 9.1 percent. Economic indicators also showed that manufacturers cut 5,000 jobs last month. Those were the first job losses in that sector in seven months. No president since World War II has won a second term with a jobless rate above 7.2 percent, and Obama's options for achieving faster economic growth before the November 2012 election appear limited. Obama scheduled a visit to Durham, North Carolina, on Monday for a session with his jobs council on how Washington can encourage private-sector hiring. Council members and administration officials also planned to hear from businesses in the region. Obama announced an effort by the private sector, colleges and the National Association of Manufacturers to help college students become trained and certified for manufacturing jobs.
