Important for the HR plan to address redundancy for times of economic downtrun

In economic downturns, layoffs are quite common.  However, in Clearwater Electronics’ HR plan, the company wants to minimize the need for layoffs  should the company face economic difficulty.  A redundancy plan involving buyouts, job skill retraining, job transfers, and outplacement conseling has been added to the HR plan.  Why is it most important for the HR plan to address redundancy for times of economic downtrun?