Employers in Wisconsin logged 16 WARN Act notices in May 2018, involving roughly 2,863 workers — falling below April and up 346% versus May 2017. The average filing covered 179 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 651 |
| Retail | 1 | 326 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 222 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 128 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 123 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 100 |
| Other | 1 | 98 |
The Arts & Entertainment sector dominated layoff filings with 651 workers across 1 notice. Meanwhile, Retail reported 326 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 5 | 1,556 |
| Brown, Dane, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Racine, Rock, and Waukesha | 1 | 326 |
| Dane | 2 | 196 |
| Jefferson | 2 | 170 |
| Outagamie | 1 | 137 |
Milwaukee bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 54% of all affected workers with 1,556 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 4 | 1,456 |
| Appleton, Brookfield, Green Bay, Madison, Onalaska, Milwaukee, Racine, and Janesville | 1 | 326 |
| Appleton,Brookfield,Green Bay,Madison,Onalaska,Milwaukee,Racine, and Janesville | 1 | 326 |
| Madison | 2 | 196 |
| Watertown | 2 | 170 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 782 |
| Layoff | 3 | 561 |
Closures accounted for 27% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMO Harris Bradley Center | Milwaukee | 651 | Closure | 2018-05-24 |
| BMO Harris Bradley Center | Milwaukee | 651 | 2018-05-24 | |
| Toys "R" Us, Inc. - Revision 1 | Appleton, Brookfield, Green Bay, Madison, Onalaska, Milwaukee, Racine, and Janesville | 326 | Layoff | 2018-05-30 |
| Toys R Us | Appleton,Brookfield,Green Bay,Madison,Onalaska,Milwaukee,Racine, and Janesville | 326 | 2018-05-30 | |
| Gannett Publishing Services - Revision 2 | Appleton | 137 | Layoff | 2018-05-18 |
| First Citizens Bank - Revision 1 | Brown Deer and Glendale | 100 | 2018-05-02 | |
| Interim Healthcare of Wisconsin - Revision 1 | Madison | 98 | Layoff | 2018-05-29 |
| Interim Healthcare of Wisconsin | Madison | 98 | 2018-05-29 | |
| Western Industries, Inc | Watertown | 85 | Closure | 2018-05-18 |
| Western Industries, Inc | Watertown | 85 | 2018-05-18 | |
| Concentrix | Milwaukee | 77 | 2018-05-08 | |
| Concentrix | Milwaukee | 77 | 2018-05-08 | |
| M.G. Design Associates Corporation | Pleasant Prairie | 46 | Closure | 2018-05-15 |
| M.G. Design Associates Corporation | Pleasant Prairie | 46 | 2018-05-15 | |
| Degen-Berglund Inc | La Crosse | 30 | 2018-05-09 |
The biggest impact was at BMO Harris Bradley Center at its Milwaukee facility, reporting 651 affected workers. BMO Harris Bradley Center followed with 651 workers.
This data points to a mixed picture for Wisconsin's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Arts & Entertainment 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.
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