Obama says U.S. economy may soon add jobs

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday sounded an optimistic note about the U.S. economy, saying it may soon begin adding jobs instead of losing them.

The White House released a text of remarks Obama was to deliver at a mid-morning ceremony to sign a $17.6 billion jobs bill aimed at spurring job creation.

"A consensus is forming that, partly because of the necessary -- and often unpopular - measures we took over the past year, our economy is growing again and we may soon be adding jobs instead of losing them. The jobs bill I'm signing today is intended to help accelerate this process," he said.

Obama said that while the jobs bill "is absolutely necessary, it is by no means enough. There is a lot more we need to do to spur hiring in the private sector and bring about a full economic recovery..." (Reporting by Steve Holland)