At the same time, many employers are looking for workers, with job openings well above the number of job seekers.
That leaves some finance chiefs scouting for savings that don’t involve job cuts, or that supplement layoffs, advisers and analysts said.
Other ways to cut costs include exiting leases, reducing the number of suppliers, automating tasks, trimming software spending and finding less expensive components, advisers said.
Many companies over the past year have raised prices to keep up with escalating input costs, in addition to trimming expenses.
Still, the company’s restaurant-level profit margin during the quarter ended Oct. 2 fell to 16.2% from 20.1% a year earlier.