A layoff tends to mean that the job position that the person had is gone. Firing a person tends to mean that the position will be hired for again once the pers

A layoff tends to mean that the job position that the person had is gone. Firing a person tends to mean that the position will be hired for again once the person is gone. Another way of looking at it: Firing a person is terminating an individual working with a company - but the company still has that role to be filled. Laying a person off is the elimination of the role, which also has the person leaving the company, but its the role that is being removed, not the person (they are free to apply for other positions in the company or get rehired later).