Given below is a statement followed by two possible conclusions I and II. Red the information carefully and select the correct option.

Statement:

Following the recession in country F, many smaller companies have decided to lay off all their employees who on probation period of six months. As a result, a little over 48% of the employees of company M were laid off.

Which of the following can be concluded from the given information?

I. Company M had almost doubled in employee strength recently.

II. The layoffs due to recession are not performance based.

Following the recession in country F, many smaller companies have decided to lay off all their employees who on probation period of six months. As a result, a little over 48% of the employees of company M were laid off.

Irrelevant Assumption: Assuming that Company M doubled its employee strength recently is irrelevant and speculative, as there is no data or statement to confirm such growth. The layoffs could be entirely due to the recessionary impact, irrespective of any prior growth.

II. The layoffs due to recession are not performance based. (Follows)
- Conclusion II: "The layoffs due to recession are not performance-based" is supported by the information, as the layoffs were based on the probation period, not individual performance.

Thus, Option b is the correct answer.