Immelt says business leaders should take lead in job creation

General Electric Co. chairman and chief executive officer Jeffrey Immelt advised business U.S. owners and top executives to “stop complaining” about government and take the lead in creating more jobs and sparking the national economic recovery.
Speaking at a jobs summit held by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in New York City, Immelt said, "The people who are part of the business sector, the people in this room, have got to stop complaining about government and get some action underway," he told the group. "There’s no excuse today for lack of leadership. The truth is we all need to be part of the solution."
Immelt, the former president of GE Healthcare in Waukesha, is the chair of President Barack Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Immelt said the group has made several recommendations for changes in government policies that should be able to help job creation, such as the executive order announced Monday asking independent agencies to rid their books of old and outdated regulations.
He said the perpetual arguments between business groups and the government are not in the best interest of the nation’s economy.
"We can’t always be fighting. We need to act, and the private sector can do more," Immelt said.