The White House said Monday that the Dec. 3 forum will include economists and business owners and executives.

Obama announced plans for the forum earlier this month as the nation's unemployment rate surpassed 10 percent for the first time in decades.

The day after the forum the president will travel to Allentown, Pa., and then to other communities to promote economic growth.

Singer Billy Joel made Allentown synonymous with job losses with a hit song in the early 1980s. But now the former steel-making city's unemployment rate is slightly better than the national average.