Obama to put focus on jobs

PRESIDENT Barack Obama will use his annual State of the Union address to urge both parties to act to lift US growth and create more jobs.

“My number one focus is going to be making sure that we are competitive, that we are growing, and we are creating jobs not just now but well into the future,” he said.

Obama’s speech tomorrow to a joint session of the Congress will show how he plans to rise above the political gridlock that marked his first two years in the White House, shaping his 2012 re-election prospects.