WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said today chronic unemployment isn't merely academic and is "a struggle that cuts deep and touches people across the nation."

Seeking to set a can-do tone for a jobs forum he hosted today at the White House, Obama claimed progress toward an economic recovery while saying much more work needs to be done.

Obama said the leading question of the day is "how do we get businesses to start hiring again."

He spoke to a gathering of academics, business executives and labor leaders on the eve of the government's report, due Friday, on the state of joblessness in November.

The jobless rate in October shot up to 10.2 percent.