Romer: 'Stability' nearing on employment

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. economy is growing and is nearing "stability" in the unemployment rate, a top White House economic adviser said Sunday.

Christina Romer, chairwoman of President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, told ABC's "This Week" that the economy is seeing a "pattern of moderation" reflected by third-quarter growth in the gross domestic product, adding, "I think we are getting close to stability in employment."

But, acknowledging that the U.S. unemployment rate is stable but still high at 10 percent, Romer said, "The real question is going to be, is it going to be strong enough to really add a lot of people back into employment? And that is what we are focusing on, and I think that's got to be the top priority."

Romer said the United States is seeing economic growth, noting, "If you look at basically every forecast, they are saying steady GDP growth over 2010." But the "big variable," she warned, is when the private sector rather than the government spending will pick up the job growth slack.

"The whole question is, when does the private sector get its sea legs again?" Romer said.