It's not slowing down, the problem right now is that there are too many people applying at the same time. Look at the statistics on linkedin (I think you need a premium account though). It goes up to 500 applicants for one single engineer position at a big startup. Web, mobile or whatever... That's a lot! And it's only people applying through linkedin.
Not a good time to be out on the market right now. From what I've seen so far I'd put at least 2 to 3 months applying everywhere to get something.
If you ignore the whole hiring process then yes. Otherwise you'd simply email these recruiters back with you digital signature attached. They would use it to sign the hiring contract and you'd be able to start the next day :)
We all receive emails from recruiters, they make you feel unique and valuable but in reality you're just a piece of meat on the supply chain. There are jobs out there, a lot. But there are way more candidates applying than jobs at the moment.
Even factoring in the "hiring process" I don't think it'd be difficult to get a job within 1-4 weeks. It might not be the best job, but I could certainly find something to pay the bills.
Not a good time to be out on the market right now. From what I've seen so far I'd put at least 2 to 3 months applying everywhere to get something.