I'm a bit late to this, but I wanted to add that, in the U.S, "to lay off" someone also means the same as to "fire" someone from their job. It is usually used to fire a multitude of people and associated with large multinational companies. For example, "In 2023, many tech companies have laid off thousands of workers due to stagnating economic conditions. On a unrelated note, "lay off" is a phrasal verb that can also refer to telling someone "to stop doing something". Example, when someone is getting annoyed by another person's antics they could say, "Hey lay off!".

"Downsized." "RIFfed" (RIF can be an acronym for "reduction in force.") "Pink-slipped"

"pink slip" "canned" "He got the pink slip at work today" "She got canned by her employer."

to can (American English)