Obama inks bill to create more jobs

US President Barack Obama signed into law a new employment bill. It includes measures such as tax breaks and spending plans designed to give the US a job boost by encouraging the private sector to hire staff.

US President Barack Obama signs the HIRE Act, a 17.6 billion dollar  jobs bill that encourages businesses to hire workers, alongside  lawmakers during a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House  in Washington, DC on Thursday. The legislation includes tax breaks  for businesses that hire new workers and infrastructure investments. (AFP/Saul Loeb)

It's the first of several such measures Democrats have promised this year, to address the issue of jobs - an issue of high public concern. The bill includes about 18 billion US dollars in tax breaks. It'll also pump 20 billion US dollars into highway and transit programs, and allow small businesses to write off equipment expenses of up to 250 million US dollars.

Obama is optimistic about the economic outlook for the country. He stressed the importance of the private sector in the quick creation of jobs.

Barack Obama said, "The solution will not come from government alone. Government can't create all the jobs we need to repair all the damage that has been done by this recession. But what we can do is promote a strong dynamic private sector, the true engine of job creation in our economy."