Here’s what President Obama had to say about unemployment and jobs in his State of the Union speech:

Unemployment

• Bailing Out The Banks. He said that if the government had not gotten involved during the financial crisis, there is a chance that unemployment might be twice what it is today.
• Extensions. The President mentioned the unemployment extension. During the past year, unemployment insurance was “extended or increased” for more than 18 million Americans.
• 2 Million Jobs. Because of the Recovery Act, over 2 million people who otherwise would have been out of work still have their jobs. These include police officers, teachers, prison workers, and fire fighters.

Jobs

• New Jobs. The one specific area of jobs mentioned was clean energy jobs.
• Full Employment. “The only way to move to full employment is to lay a new foundation for long-term economic growth.”
• Financial Reform. By requiring banks to lend to small businesses, President Obama believes that these companies will be able to operate with enough financial stability to retain current employees, raise wages, and hire new workers.
• Encouraging Innovation. The area of focus here was again clean energy. New technology drives economic growth, and economic growth will lead to new jobs.
• Investing in People. President Obama referred to education. He proposed a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college, increasing Pell Grants, and forgiving loans on student debt.