The United States has recorded its third quarter of economic growth in a row, but the country's unemployment rate did not improve. President Barack Obama says, the economic growth is a good sign, but he acknowledged the pain still felt by the large number of people without jobs.<br/><br/>An increase in consumer spending helped lift the economic growth rate to 3.2 per cent for the first quarter – the third quarterly increase in a row. But the economic upturn has yet to have an impact on the unemployment rate, which has been stuck at around 10 per cent for the past eight months. <br/><br/>Economists say, the growth figure suggests American consumers are becoming more confident about the economy. Mr Obama says it is a sign the country is heading in the right direction after what he described as the single biggest economic crisis in our lifetime.<br/>