Layoffs Are Up 54%. Invisibility Is the Real Career Risk.
1.2 million layoffs this year. Up 54%.
That number alone should stop professionals in their tracks. But while most conversations focus on who is getting laid off, the more important question is rarely asked: Why do some professionals rebound quickly – while others quietly disappear?
The answer isn’t effort. It isn’t loyalty. And it isn’t tenure.
The answer is: Visibility.
Layoffs aren’t random anymore
For years, layoffs were explained away as:
- cost cutting
- reorganizations
- “last in, first out” decisions
That logic no longer holds. Today’s layoffs are increasingly selective. Companies are filtering for:
- perceived value
- adaptability
- and future relevance
And those judgments are often made long before a formal layoff list ever exists.
The rise of proxy productivity
Here’s the uncomfortable part. Many organizations still struggle to measure real impact. So instead, they default to what’s easy to track:
- badge scans
- laptop activity
- training completions
- physical presence
These are proxy metrics – substitutes for value, not value itself. They reward:
- being seen instead of producing outcomes
- compliance instead of contribution
- safety instead of standout thinking
In those environments, it’s entirely possible to be hardworking, capable, and still expendable.
Loyalty no longer protects you
Another hard truth of today’s labor market:
- Tenure is not a shield.
- Loyalty is not leverage.
- Hard work alone does not guarantee safety.
In a transactional economy, the unspoken question becomes:
“What value are you proving right now?”
Not what’s on your resume. Not what only your manager knows. Not what you accomplished years ago.
What’s visible. What’s verifiable. What’s defensible.
Why invisibility is the real career risk
The professionals most at risk during layoffs often look like this:
- competent
- reliable
- heads-down
- quiet
They do good work – but their value lives in silos. Their reputation:
- exists inside one team
- depends on one manager
- disappears the moment access is cut
When layoffs happen, that silence becomes dangerous. Not because they weren’t valuable –
but because their value wasn’t visible.
The professionals who rebound fastest do one thing differently
They are already validated. Their value is visible:
- across teams
- across leadership
- across platforms
- and beyond their current employer
They’ve built proof, not just potential. This isn’t about self-promotion or “personal branding.”
Instead, it’s about making your professional value easy to understand and easy to verify.
That visibility creates:
- options
- credibility
- and resilience when conditions change
Career insurance you can control
You can’t control the economy. You can’t control layoffs.
But you can control whether your professional presence is invisible or validated.
That’s why I created a free Career Visibility Guide to help professionals audit their digital presence before they need it.
👉 Get the free guide here: https://www.validatedbyknox.com/career
Even when layoffs show warning signs, invisibility increases risk. Visibility lowers internal risk and expands external opportunity.
And as always —
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