Experts: Inside the Tough Job Search-plus who is hiring now

The Labor Department posted a November jobs gain of 120,000-below the 125,000 estimate.At this point in our recovery,it's a disappointing number,said John Allison,Professor at Wake Forest School of Business and former CEO of BB&T.It's not a bad number,but at this point in the cycle we ought to be creating more jobs.
Businesses are concerned about Europe,rising taxes and regulations.Businesses create jobs through innovation,which is hindered by regulation,Mr.Allison pointed out.
It's very expensive to hire and fire,adds Jeanne Branthover of Boyden Global Executive Search.It's also very expensive to hire and wait for new workers to add value.That's why it's those who are already working who are being hired.
If things are better,they are ready to expand hiring.Plans are already in place so they are ready to immediately pull the trigger if things keep looking up,Ms.Branthover revealed.
Among large companies who are hiring now in spite of these factors are Wells Fargo(10,000+ jobs);Sears Holdings(1,000+);and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney(1,000+).
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Dislocation And Danger

As Wall Street goes back to work after Labor Day,the outlook of many analysts remains one of dislocation and danger.Martin Weiss of Martin Weiss Research thinks we've seen just the first shock of the mortgage earthquake.We are only beginning to see a scarcity of credit.We don't have data until it's too late.The mortgage crunch is occurring right now.There has been a blow to the gut of the economy,and it is unlikely the government can stop it.Frank Cochrane of Market Timing Consultants says the market will rally,then fall.The market is seizing on a Federal Reserve rate cut,but it probably won't happen,and the market will fall.We will head down for the next 6-9 months.Michael Metz of Oppenheimer sees the U.S. economy slowing dramatically.There will be a recession because there is a big overhang of debt instruments,and the leverage market has a lid on it.Richard Iley of BNP Paribas notes that we are years away from a housing recovery.The Federal Reserve has underestimated the downturn,and there will be a drag on the economy until 2008.It is the biggest housing slump since World War II.How bad can things get? Between 2000 and 2002,the S and P 500 index fell 47%.Many portfolios lost half their value.One approach for concerned investors is to hedge every stock purchase with a bond fund purchase or savings account deposit.BlackRock's Income Opportunity Trust(BNA) is a broadly based bond fund.Branch Banking and Trust(BBT) offers an eSavings account that yields 4% and includes an ATM card,as well as free online and telephone banking.