[gruez]

>Keep the headcount as high as possible while still turning a profit

Opportunity cost is a thing. Just because you're not in the red doesn't mean the decision is costless. Think about it from the opposite perspective. Suppose you're a company with the right number of employees (neither too much nor too little) but you see demand is dropping. Would you go on a hiring spree so you could "react on demand going up again in a short notice"?

[ethbr1]

Specifically, people forget that there always options to deploy limited capital.

   - Spend it on labor
   - Spend it on sales
   - Spend it on R&D
   - Fund capital improvements
   - Save it in bonds

Which is better for Maersk in a softening demand environment? To retain headcount or invest in capital improvements on their ships/facilities?

Their CFO office has definitely modeled relative ROI.

And, from a more socially conscious perspective, let's not forget the shipping industry is trying to budget massive capital expenditures to reduce their carbon footprint by reworking their ship powerplants.