KANSAS CITY, Missouri: The US jobless rate is likely to stay high even once the nation exits recession some time in the next few months, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said.

Taping a Bernanke on the Record special that will air on PBS this week, the top US monetary policymaker defended the aggressive, even unorthodox actions taken by the Fed during the long recession and deep financial crisis.

"I was not going to be the Federal Reserve Chairman who presided over the second Great Depression," Bernanke said.