Everyone fears C. The answer is **"Quiet Cutting."** Management reassigns employees to roles with fewer hours, worse shifts, or stagnant pay scales. The goal is voluntary attrition. Inflation is roughly 2.5 percent. If wage growth for the lower tier is suppressed, companies are effectively giving the rank-and-file a pay cut every month. The economy isn't crashing. It is being optimized. The bottom is "managed out" through attrition. The top is "bought in" with retention bonuses.