U.S. unemployment, currently at 9.6 percent, is projected not possible to fall significantly in the short future. About 8 million Americans remain out of work now.

Many will continue to struggle.

Unemployment usually keeps rising well after a recession ends. Four months after the 2007 downturn ended, unemployment spiked to 10.1 percent in October 2009, which was the highest in just over a quarter-century. Some economists believe that marked the high point in joblessness. But others think it could climb higher -- perhaps hitting 10.3 percent by early next year.

After the 2001 recession, for instance, unemployment didn't peak until June 2003 -- 19 months later.

Any future downturn in the economy would now mark the start of a new recession, not the continuation of the December 2007 recession, NBER said.

That's important because if the economy starts shrinking again, it could mark the onset of a "double-dip" recession. For many economists, the last time that happened was in 1981-82.

Republicans criticized that the Obama administration's economic policy failed, at least in terms of unemployment rate. They called for Obama to fire both of his top economic advisers -- Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and chief economic adviser Lawrence Summers.
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