How should I update my LinkedIn employment dates after a layoff?

During severance, it's fine to leave your current role listed as active. Once severance has ended by a month or more, consider updating. One practical approach: use only years rather than months, so the end date reads as the year rather than a specific month. This is fully accurate and avoids immediately revealing the exact gap. Once you have an end date showing with no new role, you may actually receive more inbound recruiter outreach, because LinkedIn's features allow recruiters to search for candidates who are actively between roles. There's no strong negative outcome either way — the main reason to leave it alone early in your search is simply to avoid adding friction when you're just getting started.