U.S. President Barack Obama's renewed focus on economic and regulatory issues shows a willingness to work with corporate America, the head of Dow Chemical said.

"The country's jobless recovery is not a good thing," Chief Executive Andrew Liveris said on Monday. "How can we make this a recovery that builds the new future? I think science-based regulations in our world are the only way forward."

Liveris has repeatedly made the case for a U.S.-based manufacturing renaissance, saying that the U.S. government and the private sector must work together to spur job growth.

Obama recently laid out his plan for an updated regulatory system in an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal. He is expected to further expound on the topic in his State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

"The president's op-ed was really progressive," said Liveris, who recently wrote the book "Make it in America: The Case for Reinventing the Economy," to outline his economic views. "A real blank-sheet-of-paper look at regulations across all industries is overdue. The president and his team are showing a great willingness to listen."

Liveris spoke at a news conference in Detroit where Midland, Mich.-based Dow Chemical announced a $10 million partnership with The Nature Conservancy.