Are businesses really in the business of creating jobs?

I’ve been reading a lot about job creation lately and came across the following article:   Small Business: A Misunderstood Beast – Yahoo! Finance.

This article really brought to light something I haven’t thought about:  Are businesses really in the business of job creation?

In my experience running a small consulting business and a small brick and mortar business.  My answer is NO.

In my eyes creating jobs is a secondary benefit.  (Some may not even see it as a benefit at all, as I’m sure some could do without dealing and managing people.  But that’s a different conversation for a different day.)   I’m not discounting the fact that creating jobs is a good thing.  It is a good feeling to help out another and have them help out the business along the way.  I think hiring is mostly seen a filling a need and demand where there is work to be done in a business.   The primary objective of most businesses is the bottom line.  If it’s not making money it’s not as important.

When you are creating technology and innovation you are often targeting how to do more with less.  How can I replace a manual process (where some people have jobs) and automate it through technology?  My ideal company of my own creation would be to invent some huge value add technology apply it to an existing market, charge money and it requires ZERO support and maintenance.  Then I could rake in large amounts of money and hire a minimum amount of people, thus increasing my profits and not deal with managing anyone.

Ask any brick and mortar company:  If the business could make the same amount of money and not have employees, would they do it?  My guess would be yes.

Do you think businesses are in the business of creating jobs?