WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday that the country's unemployment rate, currently at 9.6 percent, is "still unacceptably high" and the government has got a lot of work to do.

Speaking after the November jobs report came out, Obama said " we are in the middle of a tough fight to get our economy growing faster."

According to a report released by the Labor Department on Friday, U.S. unemployment rate remained at 9.6 percent in October, with nonfarm payroll employment increased by 151,000.

The report also showed that the private sector has added 1.1 million jobs since January.

Obama said that the encouraging jobs report is "not good enough ", and he is "open to any idea, any proposal" that will help jumpstart the economy.

He also said the country cannot afford two more years of partisan gridlock in Washington, hinting that he will compromise to the Republicans who regained control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

U.S. economy grew at a pace of 2 percent in the third quarter and is expected to grow at the same level in 2011.