Obama: State of the Union speech to focus on jobs

President Barack Obama said he would use his annual State of the Union address to urge both parties to act to lift US growth and create more jobs.

"My number one focus is going to be making sure that we are competitive, that we are growing, and we are creating jobs not just now but well into the future," he said in a video e-mailed to members of his Organizing for America grassroots movement.

Obama's speech on Tuesday to a joint session of the US Congress will show how he plans to rise above the political gridlock that marked his first two years in the White House, shaping his 2012 re-election prospects.

With US unemployment at 9.4 percent, Obama said deficits and debt must be dealt with in a "responsible way," acknowledging the need to cut spending without undermining the country's gradual recovery.

"We're up to it, as long as we come together as a people - Republicans, Democrats, Independents - as long as we focus on what binds us together as a people," the Democratic president said.

Obama's approval ratings have improved in recent weeks, in part because US citizens seem pleased with his decision to strike deals with Republicans to extend tax cuts and spur growth after his party's heavy losses in the Nov. 2 elections.

Republicans took control of the US House of Representatives and gained seats in the US Senate.