One of the truths of private sector business is that not all of the effects of a recession are bad. It allows businesses to "trim the fat." The owner's nephew that shows up late once a month for the last three years will be let go. Employees that aren't hard working, reliable or trustworthy are downsized. Companies will look everywhere for ideas on cutting back on expenses and spending. Employees are cross trained and will end up doing more work with fewer resources. Companies will necessarily purge redundancies in order to save money, enhance margins and grow profits.