I would add to this that the people laid off are usually ones that are hard to quantify in terms of performance reviews, but that management doesn't want to kee

I would add to this that the people laid off are usually ones that are hard to quantify in terms of performance reviews, but that management doesn't want to keep. People that do just enough not to get fired, for example, or people who require much more management time, even if they are good performers, than others.