You're assuming their options are to stay or to be unemployed for 3 months. I'm saying it would be easier to find a job immediately (when there are fewer people

You're assuming their options are to stay or to be unemployed for 3 months. I'm saying it would be easier to find a job immediately (when there are fewer people on the market) than wait until everyone is laid off and you have more competition for jobs. More likely, if they'd left immediately, many of them could have gotten the equivalent of 4 months wages at their new job, since hopping is often the best way to get a raise.