The federal government should streamline permitting for construction projects and make it easier for tourists to visit the United States to help boost hiring and spur the economy, a top adviser to President Barack Obama said, Reuters reported.

Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric Co. and head of the president’s jobs and competitiveness council, said his panel’s “progress report” outlined ways to increase hiring in manufacturing, construction, health-care and tourism sectors.

Obama will meet the jobs council today during a trip to North Carolina.

The proposals to increase hiring include cutting red tape so infrastructure construction projects could proceed quickly, boosting training for manufacturing skills through partnerships between the private sector and community colleges and improving visa processes to win market share for U.S. tourism.

Making commercial buildings throughout the United States more energy efficient would also create jobs, Immelt said in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece he co-wrote with American Express Co. CEO Ken Chenault.

“Our objective for this first set of recommendations was to identify areas where the private sector and the administration could accelerate job creation immediately without the need for major legislation from Congress or actions that would have a long runway,” the men wrote. “Over the next 90 days, we will turn to addressing the actions needed to make a more significant, longer-term impact.”

With congressional Republicans determined to cut government spending in return for raising the country’s $14.3 trillion debt limit, there is little likelihood of additional public cash to finance fresh hiring.