How Low Can You Go?

It's been a question many talent management and business professionals have asked when looking at job-cut numbers because, in order to run most businesses, face it, you need employees.

Well, a new survey from global consulting firm Watson Wyatt suggests that companies, at least the big ones, may have reached the bottom as far as staff cuts.

According to last week's survey of 245 large U.S. employers, the number of companies planning layoffs has fallen 10 percentage points, from 23 percent in December to 13 percent in February.

The number of employers planning to implement a hiring freeze has also decreased: from 18 percent in December to 10 percent in February.

Of course the number of employers that have already implemented a hiring freeze jumped from December to February (47 percent to 56 percent), as did the number of employers that cut staff (39 percent to 52 percent).

Still, Watson Wyatt survey findings indicate that layoffs will slow. What's more, these findings suggest that some companies may end up realizing they’ve cut too deep.

Indeed, job-cut numbers from recent months seem to support the theory that, at some companies, the center may not hold--at least not without additions to staff.