NATION

NATION
Expect discounts on rentals
NEW YORK -- Did the summer pass by before you could schedule a break? Don't fret -- a road trip during September or October might fit well with your budget.
Banking on a banner summer travel season, auto rental companies amassed a huge fleet of cars this year, according to discount travel site Hotwire.com. As the peak season ends after Labor Day, the companies face a 30- to 60-day lag for shedding their excess cars, and so rates are likely to fall as they try to squeeze as much revenue out of their inventory as possible.
"We expect even greater discounts this September ... due to a strong summer travel season and increased fleets during peak summer months," said Amy Bohutinsky, a consumer travel expert for San Francisco-based Hotwire.
Even executives wait to land jobs
NEW YORK -- Prolonged job hunting and hiring isn't just the purview of the little worker bees. Even senior-level executives are taking longer these days to land new gigs, according to labor research firm Challenger, Gray & amp; Christmas Inc.
The average job search period was 4.4 months in the second quarter, marking an unprecedented seven consecutive quarters in which it took senior managers and executives more than four months to find a job, the Chicago-based company said.
How come? Mainly, it's because of deeper background checks into potential candidates, as security concerns and new corporate governance requirements mandate greater scrutiny.
Associated Press
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