Obama: 'US hiring highest in eight months'
US President Barack Obama has told a crowd of cheering supporters in the key swing state of Ohio that US firms took on more people in October than at any time in the past eight months.
He spoke at a campaign rally after the Department of Labor said 171,000 people were hired in the private sector during October, and the unemployment rate rose slightly to 7.9%.
The US presidential election is just four days away and many voters say the state of the economy is their top priority.
Mr Obama is involved in a tight re-election battle with Republican Mit Romney, who said the economy remained at a "virtual standstill".
02 Nov 2012
- From the section US & Canada