What if you are a struggling business like a restaurant, or are located in seasonal location in the hotel business? You may have just created enough business to meet your expenditures. and have allowed your employees to maintain a job for one more season. A general statement like an upturn in customers does not necessarily equate to more hires. Have you ever run anything where you have to take into account various costs, such as an increase in corporate taxes? We can't be looking to take on more employees, if we are also looking at those costs to maintain a business (maintenance. upkeep, investing to make our business more cost efficient and updated, or new government mandated regulations that a factory plant needs to meet in order to stay in business, etc).