Will Obama's approval ratings rise with the economy?

Economic numbers are up — and getting better — but so far they have not boosted President Obama's approval ratings.

As the Labor Department announced Friday that U.S. employers added 321,000 jobs in November — and with 2014 on track to be the strongest year for hiring since 1999 — Obama's daily approval rating in the Gallup Poll is only 42%.

The president began 2014 in the low 40s and has generally stayed there all year despite steady signs of an improving economy.

Obama himself has commented on this seeming anomaly, blaming it on evidence that too many Americans simply aren't seeing economic improvement in their daily lives. Culprits, he has said, include stagnant wages and the fact the jobs in growing in areas that require college degrees and particular expertise.

"Yes, our economy is growing, but we face an increasing divergence between those who have the skills that today's jobs require and those who don't," Obama said Thursday at a college opportunity summit.

Many people also feel that, right now, the economy is stratified and benefiting only those at the top of the economic ladder, Obama said.

"When it comes to the cost of college, there's a frustration in a middle class that feels like folks at the top can afford it, folks at the bottom get help — there's nobody who's looking out for folks in the middle," he said. "And given accelerating costs and the recognition that this is going to be the key ticket to the middle class, that elicits great frustration."

Republicans, meanwhile, say Obama policies are preventing the economy from reaching its full potential, from higher costs under the new health care law to new business regulations to new immigration policies that keeping wages flat.

"While it's welcome news that more people found work last month, millions still remain out of work, and middle-class families across the country ... are struggling to get by on wages that haven't kept pace with rising costs," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

He added, "the president's response has been more of the same: the same massive regulations, the same rising premiums, and the same uncertainty for manufacturers and small businesses."

Political numbers tend to trail economic ones; perhaps Friday's strong report will improve the president's standing.