As of July 31, 2025, over 806,000 jobs have been cut this year, eclipsing the 761,358 cut in all of 2024. With layoffs continuing to impact government, financial, tech, retail sectors and beyond, more and more professionals must prepare themselves for this increasingly common reality.
The thought of impending layoffs may trigger a range of responses, including denial (maintaining status quo at work, thinking “it won’t happen to me”), going into panic mode (mass applying to other opportunities, scouring LinkedIn and job boards) or withdrawal (emotionally checking out, doing the bare minimum). While these responses are understandable coping mechanisms, they are also defensive reactions that make you more vulnerable to layoffs, should they affect your company.
So what’s the secret to finding job security, especially if layoffs are looming? It’s not over-investing in your day job—counterintuitive though that may sound. And how do you actually do that? Here are six strategies.
Build Your External Network Before Layoffs Hit
If you suspect you may be impacted by layoffs, continue to deliver at work, but shift your focus. Aim for a 70/30 split between internal responsibilities and external relationship-building.
External relationship-building can mean attending industry events and joining professional associations where you can connect with groups of new people at once. It can mean leveraging LinkedIn strategically to expand your reach and ensure more people know you for your expertise—you never know who might connect you to future opportunities. And if networking feels awkward or time-consuming now, remember that those feelings will only be heightened if you’re networking post-layoff.
Invest In Skills That Belong To You, Not Your Employer
Take time to clarify what your transferable skills are. Regardless of your role or industry, you have transferable skills. Identify them and become well-versed in presenting them to others. Build expertise in high-demand areas where you have gaps—think AI tools, data analysis and other emerging skills. Take courses or certifications on your own time. As you grow your portable skill set, don’t forget to share your achievements and add them to your LinkedIn profile, resume, online bios and other public assets. Doing so will also help with external relationship-building.
Diversify Your Income By Building Multiple Revenue Streams
Start small with consulting or freelance projects in your area of expertise. Even earning an extra $500 to $1,000 per month can change the entire dynamic of a job search, giving you the confidence to be strategic rather than feel desperate.
Test entrepreneurial ideas while you have steady income. Build passive income sources through investments, digital products or automated services. Again, this isn’t about neglecting your day job—it’s about diversifying your career. And it is a core strategy to building your own “career insurance,” which will pay dividends whether you’re laid off or not.
Become Known In Your Industry, Not Just Within Your Company
The professionals who land on their feet the fastest after layoffs are those who were already visible in their industry. Start writing articles or sharing insights on LinkedIn, Medium or Substack—not when you’re in panic mode from needing a job, but steadily and authentically when you don’t.
Speak at conferences, join panels, contribute to industry publications. Create a portfolio of public work samples that showcase your expertise. When you allocate even 10% of your professional energy to external visibility, you transform yourself from “employee at Company X” to “recognized expert who happens to work at Company X.” That distinction can be the difference between a smooth transition and a stressful scramble post-layoff.
Interview When You Don’t Need To (Yes, Really)
Here’s a fact we love to ignore: the best time to interview is when you don’t need to. Take calls from recruiters. Interview periodically, even when you’re happy where you are. Not only does this keep your interview skills sharp, but it also gives you real-time market intelligence about your worth. And it ensures you are known to at least a handful more people involved in the hiring process, which helps with external relationship-building.
When you land external offers, use them strategically—sometimes to negotiate internally, sometimes simply to know you have options. The confidence that comes from knowing you could leave tomorrow if needed? That will actually make you better at your current job—and less likely to be laid off.
Make Friends With Your “Competition”
Release the notion that rival companies, or the people who work for them, are the enemy. They could be your future colleagues, referrers or even champions. Get to know key players at other companies through industry events, LinkedIn or professional associations. This will build your knowledge of different company cultures, compensation structures and growth trajectories. It will also keep you informed of who’s hiring, who’s not and where the industry as a whole may be heading.
Building Job Security In An Era Of Layoffs
Real job security comes from creating options for yourself—it’s not something any company, employer or line of work will provide. Admittedly, building these options takes discipline, especially when fear makes us want to either freeze or frantically react to give ourselves a false sense of control. But the payoff of implementing these six strategies proactively (peace of mind, greater career success) is hard to put a dollar figure on.
And if you need one final dose of motivation, remember that pursuing even one of the above strategies automatically puts you ahead of the curve—because while others are in denial, panicking or withdrawing, you are strategically building leverage and getting closer to finding true job security.