The President's Weekly Address

My administration is committed to giving every American the opportunity to find a great job and have a rewarding career. There's nothing like it.

Whether you are a high school student or a late-career worker, there has never been a better time to learn a trade, hone a skill, and pursue your dreams. Last quarter, the United States economy grew by 4.1 percent. We've created 3.7 million new jobs since the election. Unemployment recently fell to its lowest rate in almost 50 years. Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has reached the lowest level ever recorded. In the month of June alone, 600,000 workers entered or reentered the workforce. Pretty good numbers.

To continue this incredible momentum, we launched the pledge to America's workers. More than 100 companies, associations, and others have pledged to train or retrain over 4 million American students. We're encouraging companies across the country to join our historic initiative and pledge to invest in training Americans for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow.

In the last 2 weeks, I established a National Council for the American Worker, which will develop a national workforce strategy, and signed the modernized and long-awaited Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which will deliver jobs and training to more than 11 million students and workers. We are very proud of that.

When we invest in our workers, we are investing in our people, we are investing in our communities, and we are investing in the American Dream. And every single day, we are making new American dreams come true.

Thank you. And God bless America.