I can’t phantom the idea of getting laid off then trying go right back.
Too many other places
It's a locality issue. Most people aren't willing to move, so they would return to the same place that fired them because they are the only shop in town. For example with a employer as large as Microsoft firing thousands of people in that Washington area, any available job openings in the vicinity for their specialized fields will immediately be filled.
This happened to colleagues of mine in my previous employer who had purchased houses and started families in the vicinity of their job, based on the perceived permanence of the company. They were layed off with severance, and assumed that there would be jobs in the area; but they were shocked that the job market was lethargic long after their severance expired.
And while jobs did exist in other states, their children did not want to be uprooted, their wives did not want to give up their jobs, and the housing market was worse than when they originally purchased their homes at low interest rates . So, can you guess what happened?
When that previous employer realized that India can't handle their entire tech load, most of these family people excitedly ran back with their tails wagging in the air like puppies.
