President-elect Barack Obama hasn't put a dollar figure yet on his promise to create an economic recovery package that he says will generate or save 2.5 million jobs over two years.

His reluctance may be with good reason: Obama is six weeks from taking office, and the potential cost of helping the economy could rise.

On Friday, the government reported that 533,000 jobs were lost in November, far more than economists had forecast. On Thursday alone, companies across a variety of industries announced nearly 30,000 layoffs.

Less Inflation

In November, the Consumer Price Index, the measure of inflation kept by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dropped by 1%, after having been on the rise all summer. It was the biggest drop in the index, since the Department of Labor started tracking in 1947, prompting worry that the economy might enter into a period of deflation (which can make it impossible for businesses to make any money or for the government to pay off its debt). Donald Kohn, the vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, said the Fed is watching closely, but the risk of deflation is "still small."