President Barack Obama says the latest employment figures show the US economy is headed in the right direction, but more needs to be done to put Americans without jobs back to work. The Labour Department reported a decline in the overall unemployment rate which dropped to 9.5 per cent from 9.7 per cent—the lowest level since 2009. President Obama recognised the mixed nature of the latest figures. He said they show the economy is headed in the right direction, with the sixth consecutive month of private sector job growth. But he also recognized that for millions of Americans, the economy is not being fixed fast enough.