of groundlink, a company that arranges ground transportation between any two points worldwide. revenues are up 40% in the past year, but he's not hiring. instead the firm has been laying off workers, as you can see from the empty seats at the company's midtown manhattan call center. mashinsky says it makes better sense to invest in technology than people. >> currently, close to 40% of our transactions are done on the web, and it's because we put more and more functionality on the web. and now there are things on the web that you can't get on the phone. >> reporter: there are still other reasons some businesses are reluctant to add employees. many firms think carefully as they approach the 50-worker threshold because they will be required to offer health insurance in 2014. but experts say, above all else, it's register receipts that drive hiring decisions. sageworks c.e.o. brian hamilton expects small businesses will start hiring in the months ahead as the recovery picks up momentum. >> once people start to tune into that and say "the sky's not going to fall," then people will b