They want each side to move outside their comfort zone to accept tough choices that they wouldn't ordinarily want to accept but which the demands of the time -- or rather the times demand.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

If the firms that do most of the hiring are not consultancies or investment banks, they may demand different skills: perhaps expertise in engineering or law, rather than a general understanding of business principles, acquired at great expense.

ECONOMIST: MBA programmes: Back to business school | The

Finally, she points out that, unlike in previous rallies, private domestic demand, rather than exports or fiscal loosening, is supplying much of the economic impetus.

ECONOMIST: Japan's stockmarket