I have to wonder if she was simply told that their expectations for junior recruiters were lower than more senior recruiters and maybe that they even had people

I have to wonder if she was simply told that their expectations for junior recruiters were lower than more senior recruiters and maybe that they even had people who, despite their best efforts, were unable to get anyone signed for up to a year. That's quite different from saying that she wasn't expected to hire anyone for a year. edit: or as others have pointed out they were hired at the beginning of a hiring freeze and heard that hiring may not pick back up again for a year. In that situation I'd expect them to have been laid off rather soon, but certainly not informed ahead of time.