No matter what sector or company you are employed in, you should always work under the belief that you’ll be laid off eventually, its just a matter of time.
This is motivational fuel to:
Save more money.
Update your skills and\or resume.
Pay off your loans sooner.
Network more.
Keep a pulse on who’s hiring, what is in demand, what skills are the new trend.
This should always be done regardless of how well things are or are not going.
It truly is a numbers game. Some one out there runs a magic formula that spits out “whatever criteria” to be let go. Criteria selection is flexible. It could be tenure, pay, age (even though its against the law, age is a factor), groups, location, who knows.