Employers in Wisconsin filed 16 WARN Act notices in August 2018, impacting roughly 826 workers — representing a notable rise over July and down 82% versus August 2017. The average filing covered 52 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Services | 3 | 171 |
| Other | 2 | 108 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 98 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 36 |
| Admin & Support Services | 1 | 23 |
The Professional Services sector led the way in workforce reductions with 171 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Other reported 108 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Dane | 4 | 296 |
| Outagamie | 4 | 154 |
| Ozaukee | 2 | 136 |
| Brown | 4 | 132 |
| Kenosha | 2 | 108 |
Dane felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 36% of all affected workers with 296 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Middleton | 4 | 296 |
| Grafton | 2 | 136 |
| Green Bay | 4 | 132 |
| Appleton | 2 | 108 |
| Pleasant Prairie | 2 | 108 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 235 |
Closures accounted for 28% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Corporation | Middleton | 112 | 2018-08-02 | |
| West Corporation | Middleton | 112 | 2018-08-02 | |
| Best Buy | Grafton | 68 | Closure | 2018-08-08 |
| Best Buy | Grafton | 68 | 2018-08-08 | |
| Midwest Senior Living | Appleton | 54 | Closure | 2018-08-06 |
| Midwest Senior Living | Appleton | 54 | 2018-08-06 | |
| ACCO Brands USA, LLC | Pleasant Prairie | 54 | Closure | 2018-08-28 |
| ACCO Brands | Pleasant Prairie | 54 | 2018-08-28 | |
| West Corporation | Green Bay | 36 | 2018-08-02 | |
| West Corporation | Green Bay | 36 | 2018-08-02 | |
| P.F. Chang's | Middleton | 36 | Closure | 2018-08-31 |
| P.F. Chang's | Middleton | 36 | 2018-08-31 | |
| OneTouchPoint | Green Bay | 30 | 2018-08-08 | |
| OneTouchPoint | Green Bay | 30 | 2018-08-08 | |
| Com-Tec Security, LLC | Greenville | 23 | Closure | 2018-08-09 |
The single largest action involved West Corporation at its Middleton facility, reporting 112 affected workers. West Corporation followed with 112 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Wisconsin's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Professional Services 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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