In the UK, if your job is genuinely no longer needed, you can be made redundant, with mimimal pay off and notice (Typically 1 month notice and a minimum of 1 week per year redundancy)
Safe to say I left that place of my own accord not long after.
In periods of "low order" for things like shipping/mining a company may put the employees on leave that the government pay, but this is only temporary. It's a method to avoid hire/fire waves.