Mitt Romney said he would bring the unemployment rate down to 6 percent in four years as president, in an interview with Time magazine.
"I can't possibly predict precisely what the unemployment rate at the end of one year, but I can tell you in a period of four years by virtue of the policies we put in place we'll get the unemployment rate down to 6 percent or perhaps a little lower," Romney said.
It is the first time Romney has given a specific numerical target for his economic policies.
The national unemployment rate currently stands at 8.1 percent. The last time it was below 6 percent was July 2008.
also defended his tenure at private equity firm Bain Capital during the 36-minute interview, saying that President background in "politics and as a community organizer" makes him less qualified to fix the economy.
Romney stressed his 25-year career in the "private sector" as a key reason why he was qualified to lead the country.
"We have an economy in trouble and someone who has spent their career in the economy is more suited to help fix the economy than someone who has spent his life in politics and as a community organizer," Romney said.
See a clip of the Time interview below.
This story first appeared in USA Today.