The president, at the opening of a White House forum on creating jobs, said he understood that the high jobless rate "cuts deep" for the millions out of work.
"This has been a tough year, with a lot of uncertainty," Obama said as he wrapped up the half-day brainstorming session with a group of economists, union leaders, and business executives such as Eric Schmidt, chief executive officer of Google Inc., and Fred Smith of FedEx Corp.
He said he welcomed the suggestions as well as some "good, hardheaded feedback" from some people who do not always share his views, including economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former top economic adviser to 2008 Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.
"We cannot hang back and hope for the best when we've seen the kinds of job losses that we've seen over the last year," Obama said. "What I'm interested in is taking action right now to help businesses create jobs."
The president said there were some ideas that could be put to work almost immediately and other ideas that would become part of legislation for Congress to consider.
With the nation's unemployment rate at a 26-year high of 10.2 percent in October, the president was pivoting back to pocketbook issues two days after announcing a new Afghanistan war strategy.
The November jobs report is due to be released this morning.
Obama is scheduled to follow up the forum with a visit today to Allentown. His itinerary there includes a visit to a community college in nearby Schnecksville to talk about the economy.
He also has scheduled an economic speech for Tuesday.
As the White House gathering focused on the big picture, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) was more narrowly focused, telling reporters that Congress would tap unused funds from last year's $700 billion Wall Street bailout to pay for new spending on roads and bridges and save the jobs of firefighters, teachers, and other public employees.
Pelosi did not give a price tag on the initiative. However, congressional Democrats who have talked with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and other administration officials are eyeing up to $70 billion, said a House Democratic aide who required anonymity to describe the private talks.
Participants in yesterday's forum split into six working groups led by administration officials including Geithner, National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers, and Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
Subjects for the smaller sessions included creating jobs through developing alternative energy, rebuilding U.S. infrastructure, and boosting exports.
In the discussion session on so-called green jobs, Obama said he would pursue an "aggressive agenda" on energy efficiency and weatherization. Those two areas "can have an immediate, rapid impact," he said.
In a separate discussion, the president also backed more spending on roads, bridges, and other such projects that will both create jobs and repair the nation's aging infrastructure.
Gerard Arpey, chairman and chief executive of AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, called on the administration to spend on improvements to the nation's air traffic control system. "The obstacle, of course, is funding," Arpey said. "It's infrastructure spending that could lead to jobs and a lot more efficient aviation system."
Norfolk Southern Corp. chairman and chief executive Charles "Wick" Moorman told Obama that such spending also would help the United States keep up with foreign competitors, such as China. "We have an infrastructure crisis looming in this country," said Moorman. "What better way to fix it than to plow money out there for worthwhile projects?"
In a session focused on trade, Smith of FedEx and Robert Iger, chief executive of Walt Disney Co., told Summers that reducing the 35 percent corporate tax rate would make U.S. companies more competitive and boost exports.
In the closing session, Obama said making more credit available, particularly for small businesses, was a priority for the administration.
Companies represented at the forum included AT&T Inc., Boeing Co., and Pfizer Inc. They provide a snapshot of the nation's employment woes. Together, they have cut more than 36,000 jobs this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News.
Republican lawmakers held their own economic roundtable at the Capitol yesterday, with House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio saying, "All the job-killing policies that are being offered by this administration and this Congress" are creating uncertainty for business. As a result, he said, companies are not hiring.
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