[mikeortman]

I have a hunch a lot of companies that layoff in December are also motivated by the bonus structure. Many companies structure their bonus pay around the new year in line with their fiscal calendar, either paying at the beginning of the year or entitling them to the bonus paid out later in the year.

[op00to]

This - I worked at a place that paid bonus quarterly and firings while rare seemed to happen just before the quarter end.

Now we are paid bonus yearly and I see firings in December. I think it does align to expenditures like bonus, for sure.

[hotpotamus]

I guess I didn't get dicked too hard in my mid December layoff (a couple years back); they gave me a pro-rated yearly bonus so I only lost like 2 weeks of it. The severance wasn't too bad either so all in all I took my money and shut up like they wanted me to. As I say in all these comments, I just wish that healthcare access wasn't tied to an employer - that seems like the cruelest aspect of modern America. Get too sick to work (and I have a condition that I live with), and you can't get healthcare any more.

[op00to]

Certainly one of the the cruelest aspects. But there's so many.

[Consultant32452]

Basically a ton of arrows point towards EOY as a good time to do this. January has the most layoffs, December second most. In industries with seasonal hires, you get rid of them after the rush. Additionally, company budgets tend to be yearly, so you adjust to the new fiscal year's budget at this time too.

I wonder what kind of social change would occur if each company was randomly assigned a quarter in which their taxes were due instead of everyone defaulting to the same exact time.

[mtmail]

In the UK the tax year ends April/5th. I don't see a particular pattern around April https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotin...

other countries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_year#Chart_of_various_f...

[arberx]

Or health insurance reasons