Wisconsin Layoffs — March 2018
Employers in Wisconsin filed 10 WARN Act notices in March 2018, impacting roughly 1,810 workers — representing a notable rise over 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 led the way in workforce reductions with 1,366 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 260 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 3 | 1,041 |
| Brown | 1 | 326 |
| Fond du Lac | 1 | 120 |
| Marathon | 1 | 110 |
| Eau Claire | 1 | 80 |
Milwaukee absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 58% of all affected workers with 1,041 workers across 3 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 |
The single largest action involved 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.
The data underscores 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.