That's a good point. I've seen this myself during a layoff. The more senior staff (who, presumably, were earning more) were the first to go, save for a couple w

That's a good point. I've seen this myself during a layoff. The more senior staff (who, presumably, were earning more) were the first to go, save for a couple who were kept so that all the senior knowledge of the system wasn't lost. This is just the application of basic economic principles to specific circumstances (sometimes, it makes more sense to cut junior staff because the senior staff too more valuable).