What does it mean when a pilot need rating is a 1 or a 2 or a 9, etc?  Does a higher number mean they will hire more pilots on the next board?  Is there a likely number of pilots slots that corresponds to a particular need rating, for example a need rating of 1 is one slot, 5 is two slots, 9 is three slots?

Thanks for any info.

It's subjective and doesn't necessarily mean anything.  A higher need rating means they need the position more.