The prime minister indicated that he wants Britain to "build tomorrow", in order to alleviate the worst effects of the recession.
The prime minister has warned of the "enormous" challenge facing the UK economy in 2009.
In his New Year's message, Gordon Brown said that the priority for next year would be to "build tomorrow", with big infrastructure and skills projects providing a boost for the flagging economy.
A sharp recession induced by the global financial crisis is forecast, with the government's own figures predicting a contraction in GDP of 0.75-1.25 percent for next year. Some experts even suggest that this negative growth could be three times as big.
Unemployment recently spiked to an eight-year high of 1.86 million and is expected to increase by hundreds of thousands of people due to the downturn. Particularly hard hit is predicted to be the financial services sector, which is a large part of Britain's economy, relative to many other European countries.
"This coming year won't be easy, but I am determined that this government will be the rock of stability and fairness on which the British people can depend," Mr Brown said.
"The scale of the challenges we face is matched by the strength of my optimism that the British people can and will rise to meet them. Because we're not a do nothing people and we've always risen to every challenge, we can meet the security challenge, the environmental challenge and the enormous economic challenge."
Shadow chancellor George Osborne strongly criticised the prime minister's comments. "Gordon Brown is living in a fantasy land of his own imagination - not the Britain of 2009.
"He talks of tomorrow, but ignores the role he played in creating the mess of today."
