Final answer:
In the equation y = 30 + 9x, which represents the number of employees over time, the number 9 represents the slope, or the number of employees being added each month. The correct answer is 9.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation y = 30 + 9x models the number of employees a company will have in x months from now. In this linear equation, the slope (9) represents the number of employees the company is adding every month. Therefore, the correct answer is option a) 9.