Comparative law notes
Employment law context.
You may note that our definition adds that layoffs can be done temporarily. Historically, the term layoff did indeed mean temporary dismissals, like furloughs. But today, we generally use the word layoff when a person is permanently let go from a job.
Layoff is especially used when an employer lets go of employees because they can no longer afford to pay them, their business is down, or other economic reasons—not necessarily because employees weren't good at their jobs. A term that floats around a lot during these circumstances is mass layoff, meaning many employees were laid off at the same time. Here mass means "pertaining to, involving, or affecting a large number of people.
