Number of Employees at a Food Processing Plant Month January February March April May June July August September October November December January

The number of employees on the payroll at a food processing plant is recorded at the start of each month. These data are provided in the attached file. a. Is there a seasonal pattern in these data? If so, how do you explain this seasonal pattern? Also, if necessary, deseasonalize these data using the ratio-tomoving-average method. b. Forecast this time series for the first 4 months of the next year using the most appropriate method. Defend your choice of forecasting method.