Obama looks to create 2.5m jobs

Barack Obama has outlined plans to create 2.5 million jobs in the US by 2011. The president-elect said the proposal, which will develop jobs to rebuild roads, bridges and modernise schools in the coming years, was "big enough to meet the challenges we face" and "lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy". He said: "These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis; these are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long," The house and credit crisis has badly damaged the US economy, analysts have predicted the country's economic hardships will continue through much of 2009. Speaking in his weekly address on the internet, Mr Obama acknowledged that the country is "facing an economic crisis of historic proportions" but said he was pleased Congress passed an extension of unemployment benefits this week. He added: "We must do more to put people back to work and get our economy moving again." Figures out this week showed new claims for jobless aid had reached a 16-year high.

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ITN | November 22, 2008