The discussion Hammond participated in was one of six breakout sessions during Obama's jobs summit, which the president called to address the problem of high unemployment despite signs economic recovery is underway. The summit was held one day before the latest unemployment figures were released by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The November unemployment numbers, released this morning, indicate the overall unemployment rate in the United States is 10.0 percent, down slightly from 10.2 percent in October. Unemployment in the construction industry has now reached 19.4 percent, up from 18.7 percent in October and the highest among any sector measured by the Labor Department.

During Thursday's White House jobs summit, Hammond had the president's ear when Obama dropped in on the infrastructure session to listen to the discussion among the two dozen or so participants from both the public and private transportation sectors. Hammond and other state DOT leaders are pushing Obama and Congress to enact a job-creation package that would fund more than $69 billion worth of "ready to go" infrastructure projects. (see related story)

"We know that investments in transportation not only provide immediate jobs for the economy, but also provide longer-term benefits by preserving roads, shoring up our bridges, repairing 1950s-era concrete interstates, and making drivers safer," Hammond said.

A total of some 130 public officials, small-business owners, corporate executives, academics, and nonprofit leaders participated in Obama's jobs summit. The president heads to Allentown, PA, today to launch a Main Street listening tour that will take him to regions of the country hard hit by economic woes.