President Barack Obama says the US unemployment report for July shows some encouraging signs, even though the jobless rate remained at 9.5 per cent. But the President admits more improvement is needed. The Labor Department says the US economy made progress in some areas last month, but not in others. The nation lost jobs overall, mainly due to the expected cuts of 144,000 jobs at the government's Census Bureau. But private employers added 71,000 jobs in July. The president's top economic adviser, Christina Romer, said there will likely be more bumps in the road, or challenges, as the economy recovers.