It hasn't been every company I've worked for, but this has been a common theme throughout my life...

The more the executives brag about how good the company is doing and about its financial strength, the more likely it is that a serious downturn is on the horizon.

I just personally experienced it again, too. End of 2024, record number of projects awarded. Billions in new government contracts. Hiring frenzy. February 2025. 90% of those contracts cancelled. Mass layoffs.

Prior job: Record sales each year. Fastest growing business in the region in our niche and for our size. Always supposedly on the verge of buying our own office building, a skyscraper no less. Within a year of me leaving, they ran into trouble (not related to my departure in any way and I had no idea there would be such a significant downturn). No layoffs, but conditions got so bad that people left far faster than they could be replaced, until things stabilized at about 1/3 of the peak number of employees.

So all I'm saying is, if your employer is feeding you the story that they've had record profits, prepare yourself for the incoming storm.