Do you think companies are purposely not hiring?

One or two years of "record profits" do not justify hiring more people. Companies don't hire based on short term outlooks. They hire based on long term need. And with the economy still on shaky legs, most companies don't want to go on a hiring spree just because they have some extra work now, only to have to go through big layoffs in a year or two if we enter a "double dip" recession.