Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. US Gains 151,000 Jobs; Unemployment Remains 9.6 Percent VOA News 05 November 2010 A sign turning away potential job-seekers is seen outside of a construction site in New Orleans, 4 Nov 2010 Photo: AP A sign turning away potential job-seekers is seen outside of a construction site in New Orleans, 4 Nov 2010 The U.S. job market improved in October with a gain of 151,000 jobs, its first net increase since May. Friday's report from the Labor Department says the unemployment rate stayed at a relatively high 9.6 percent, for the third month in a row. A total of 14.8 million Americans are unemployed, which is a key reason the U.S. central bank this week launched a new, $600 billion effort to stimulate the economy.  U.S. President Barack Obama calls the latest figures "encouraging," but says unemployment is still too high. Before leaving Friday on a visit to Asia, he told reporters the two major political parties should work together to help the economy grow and create jobs, and he pledged to "pry open some markets" to U.S. exports. Worries about jobs played a key role in this week's U.S. elections, which saw big losses for President Barack Obama's Democratic Party. Democrats lost their majority control of the House of Representatives in Tuesday's voting. Republicans also scored gains in the Senate, but Democrats retained their majority there. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. .