WASHINGTON (AP) -The Federal Reserve expects the unfolding recovery will be gradual, as modest growth keeps the nation's unemployment rate elevated over the next several years, according to a new forecast.

Most Fed policymakers said it could take "five or six years" for the economy and the labor market to get back on a path of full health.

In updated economic projections, the Fed said Tuesday that the economy's contraction for all of this year won't be as deep as it thought in a forecast released in the summer. That's because the second half of this year is shaping up better than anticipated.

Under a range of new projections, the economy will shrink 0.5 percent or be flat this year. The old forecast called for a contraction of anywhere from 0.6 to 1.6 percent.

Growth next year should turn out slightly better than the Fed previously projected- ranging from 2 to 4 percent - up from 0.8 to 4 percent.

But that won't be robust enough to quickly drive down the unemployment rate, which now stands at 10.2 percent. It's only the second time in the post-World War II period the rate has topped 10 percent.

The central bank predicted the jobless rate could hover between 8.6 and 10.2 percent next year, based on a range of forecasts from Fed policymakers. It's a tad better than its previous forecast, where the Fed said the jobless rate could rise as high as 10.6 percent.

The post-War high was 10.8 percent at the end of 1982 when the country had suffered through a severe recession.

Looking ahead to 2011, the Fed said the unemployment rate could drop to anywhere from 7.2 to 8.7 percent. That would still be considered well above normal, which is between 5 and 6 percent.

Inflation, meanwhile, should stay under control, the Fed said.

Prices this year should increase between 1 and 1.7 percent, and rise a bit higher next year. The new projections were little changed from the old forecast.