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So what will it take for more companies to begin adding new workers to their payrolls? "Really not a mysterious question," says Gerard McLean, CEO of Rivershark Inc., a developer of web applications in Englewood, Ohio. "We're sitting here waiting for the promise of customers. With money. Really that simple." But most workers are waiting for a raise. Many haven't seen their wages increase much faster than inflation in recent years. And this year they have less take-home pay because of an increase in Social Security taxes. The overall economy has grown at a lackluster annual rate of 1.4 percent in the first half of the year, hobbled by the tax hikes, federal spending cuts and broader global weakness. Many economists are optimistic that growth will pick up in the second half of the year. But most business owners can't take the risk that comes with adding and training new workers without seeing more evidence. Rivershark has four employees, down from a peak of six in 2006. And McLean says he has no plans to hire anytime soon. "Any additional hiring will not produce additional sales, just create payroll expense," McLean said. "Hiring is just a risk for which there will be no reward."
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