Wisconsin Layoffs — March 2018
Employers in Wisconsin submitted 10 WARN Act notices in March 2018, putting at risk an estimated 1,810 workers — up substantially from February and up 380% versus March 2017. The average filing covered 181 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 3 | 1,366 |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 260 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 129 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 54 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 1 |
The Retail sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,366 workers across 3 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 260 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 2 | 1,040 |
| Brown | 1 | 326 |
| Fond du Lac | 1 | 120 |
| Marathon | 1 | 110 |
| Eau Claire | 1 | 80 |
Milwaukee felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 57% of all affected workers with 1,040 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wauwatosa | 2 | 1,040 |
| Appleton | 1 | 326 |
| Fond du Lac | 1 | 120 |
| Rothschild | 1 | 110 |
| Eau Claire | 1 | 80 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 1,139 |
The high proportion of closures (63% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JC Penny | Wauwatosa | 520 | Closure | |
| Penney OpCo LLC DBA JCPenney | Wauwatosa | 520 | ||
| Toys "R" Us | Appleton | 326 | Closure | |
| Saputo Cheese USA | Fond du Lac | 120 | ||
| Foremost Farms USA | Rothschild | 110 | Closure | |
| Syverson Lutheran Home | Eau Claire | 80 | Closure | |
| Hubbell Lighting | Hudson | 54 | Closure | |
| Care and Rehab - Dallas | Dallas | 49 | Closure | |
| ALKAR-RapidPak | Lodi | 30 | ||
| Sitel Group | Milwaukee | 1 |
Topping the list was JC Penny at its Wauwatosa facility, reporting 520 affected workers. Penney OpCo LLC DBA JCPenney followed with 520 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Wisconsin labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Wisconsin. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Wisconsin WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.