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+).
Branch Banking and Trust(BBT)

A Brandeis Perspective:Black Swan of a Jobs Report

The duration of unemployment today and the slowness of the labor market's recovery are unprecedented.This observation was reinforced by Friday's bleak Labor Department unemployment report,which revealed a jobs gain of only 39,000,and an increase in the unemployment rate from 9.6-9.8%.Lisa Lynch,Dean of The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University in Waltham,Massachusetts,described the report as a huge surprise.Even the most pessimistic economists were not coming in with so low a number.We should be adding 120,000 jobs just to keep pace with population growth.
Dean Lynch pointed out there was much lower growth in the manufacturing sector,in spite of the demand for autos.There was also contraction in the construction and retail sectors.We did see growth in health care and restaurants and bars.
Those who are working are putting in more hours.Seeing their friends and family members out of work,they are hesitant to shop.
At this rate,it will take the labor market about 12.5 years to recover,Bloomberg Television calculated.
Lisa Lynch received her BA from Wellesley College and a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.She has been in her position since 2008,and is also a Professor of Economics at Brandeis.

Early Edition:Inside the Employment Report

Friday's employment report showed a loss of 247,000 jobs in July,versus an estimate of 275,000.There were 14.5 million jobless,for a rate of 9.4%,versus June's rate of 9.5%.Average hourly wages rose 0.2%,while July's average workweek was 33.1,versus 33.0 for June.Non-farm payrolls showed the smallest decline since August of 2008,and the May-June losses were revived downward.Every measurement showed an economy in a slowing descent.
Hilda Solis,U.S. Labor Secretary,said as long as we see job loss,it's gonna be a problem.I wouldn't say the recession is over,she remarked.We're certainly on track to stabilizing the patient.The patient is still sick.The patient still has a fever.We know that we still have to be vigilant.We're gonna be very cautious.We want to move forward with our recovery plan.
The president has made an investment in renewable energy,health care and IT,such as two billion dollars for weatherization efforts,Ms.Solis noted.You're going to see a big change over the next few years in job creation in renewable energy.Tax breaks are going to come along.It's gonna take a while,but I have a lot of optimism that there's gonna be a change in direction,Secretary Solis stated.