The U.S. unemployment rate stands at 10.2 percent as of February 12, much above the official estimate of 9 percent, according to the Gallup polling agency.

The rate of those considered to be underemployed, meanwhile, hit 19.7 percent, Gallup says.

Results are based on a 30-day rolling average.

A man reads a help wanted postcard during the Arizona Workforce Connection Career Expo.

Unemployment continues to be a thorn in the Obama administration's side, as while the economy has officially been out of the Great Recession for some time now, high unemployment rates continue to plague the economy — and Obama's popularity.

Likewise, another Gallup poll shows 35 percent of Americans feel unemployment is the biggest challenge facing the nation right now, CNN reports.

The figure is the highest percentage for those who say jobs is the most pressing issue in Gallup polling since October 1983.

The official unemployment rate in January fell to 9 percent from 9.4 percent in December, which was good news.

"It is clear that the drop in unemployment reflected more jobs being added, not a drop in the labor force," Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight, tells The Associated Press.

Nevertheless, while the overall unemployment rate fell, separate government data of company payrolls shows that 36,000 net jobs were created in January, barely a quarter of the number needed to keep pace with population growth.

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