More than half of all US companies are planning to lay off employees as they brace for an economic downturn, according to a new survey. The PwC survey — which polled 700 executives and board members across the US — found 52% of companies have already enacted hiring freezes, four out of 10 have rescinded jobs or axed signing bonuses for new hires, and roughly half have started laying people off or are preparing to cut headcount.