I don't think one signal alone is sufficient to make that determination. Lots of companies try to comfort employees during downturns. In my experience before y

I don't think one signal alone is sufficient to make that determination. Lots of companies try to comfort employees during downturns. In my experience before you see mass layoffs you'll also see some of the following: hiring freezes, benefit cutbacks, travel bans, infrastructure cost cutting, office closures, revamps to employee evaluation processes, etc. Without at least some other factors I wouldn't assume a company is considering layoffs just because they use the word.