Imo the term layoff used to mean something different. Getting rid of "dead wood" should be a firing, not a layoff.
Layoff is "this division or project is a dead end or not aligned with strategy and we are shutting it down, and don't have other spots to place everyone"
Layoff is "this division or project is a dead end or not aligned with strategy and we are shutting it down, and don't have other spots to place everyone"