It’s slightly different dynamics. At the beginning of the pandemic, people thought the world was going to end (either in literal terms or just economic ones). The massive hiring came after people realized that life would go on.
What’s happening today is a result of the free money spigot being turned off. The layoffs and hiring freezes are going to be a bit more sticky.
I'm skeptical. I think companies are still in denial about just how thorough the upper quintile of the labor force was hollowed out during COVID. This is easy to miss -- especially in industries like tech -- where title inflation for junior workers has cause executives to over-estimate the fungability of veteran labor.
There is also a lower chance of having stimulus to soften the initial blow for those being laid off. It also seemed like layoffs at the start of the pandemic were centered around the service industry, where as now we are seeing them in a broader context.
What’s happening today is a result of the free money spigot being turned off. The layoffs and hiring freezes are going to be a bit more sticky.