Question

a company has been forced to reduce its number of employees. today the company has 15% fewer employees than it did a year ago. if there are currently 272 employees, how many employees did the company have a year ago?

Explanation:

Step1: Let the number of employees a year ago be $x$.

The current number of employees is 15% fewer than a year ago, so the current - number of employees is $(1 - 0.15)x=0.85x$.

Step2: We know the current number of employees is 272.

Set up the equation $0.85x = 272$.

Step3: Solve for $x$.

$x=\frac{272}{0.85}=320$.

Answer:

320