ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday he would urge Congress next week to implement "common sense ideas" to accelerate job growth, after data showed the pace of hiring by U.S. businesses slowed in April, even though unemployment dipped to 8.1 percent.

"We've got to do more if we're going to recover all the jobs lost in the recession," he told an audience of students at an event to push Congress to take action in order to avoid a doubling in interest rates on student loans on July 1.