Employers in Wisconsin reported 18 WARN Act notices in October 2018, displacing an estimated 1,784 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and up 65% versus October 2017. The average filing covered 99 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 5 | 552 |
| Retail | 2 | 276 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 116 |
| Transportation | 1 | 107 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 37 |
The Other sector topped the list of affected industries with 552 workers across 5 notices. Notably, Retail reported 276 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 6 | 678 |
| Kenosha | 4 | 344 |
| Dane | 2 | 318 |
| Sheboygan | 2 | 254 |
| Washington | 2 | 116 |
Milwaukee bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 38% of all affected workers with 678 workers across 6 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | 2 | 318 |
| Greenfield | 2 | 276 |
| Sheboygan | 2 | 254 |
| Kenosha | 2 | 214 |
| Milwaukee, West Allis | 2 | 208 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 670 |
| Layoff | 1 | 127 |
Closures accounted for 38% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bimbo Bakeries USA | Madison | 159 | Closure | 2018-10-23 |
| Bimbo Bakeries | Madison | 159 | 2018-10-23 | |
| Target Corporation | Greenfield | 138 | Closure | 2018-10-30 |
| Target | Greenfield | 138 | 2018-10-30 | |
| Mayline (DBA Safco Products Co.) - Revision 2 | Sheboygan | 127 | Layoff | 2018-10-01 |
| Mayline (DBA Safco Products Co.) | Sheboygan | 127 | 2018-10-01 | |
| Black Horse Carriers, Inc | Kenosha | 107 | Closure | 2018-10-19 |
| Black Horse Carriers, Inc | Kenosha | 107 | 2018-10-19 | |
| Home Owners Bargain Outlet | Milwaukee, West Allis | 104 | Closure | 2018-10-17 |
| Home Owners Bargain Outlet | Milwaukee, West Allis | 104 | 2018-10-17 | |
| Milwaukee Athletic Club | Milwaukee | 97 | Closure | 2018-10-25 |
| Milwaukee Athletic Club | Milwaukee | 97 | 2018-10-25 | |
| Southwire/Coleman Cable | Pleasant Prairie | 65 | Closure | 2018-10-05 |
| Southwire/Coleman Cable | Pleasant Prairie | 65 | 2018-10-05 | |
| Sunlite Plastics, Inc | Germantown | 58 | 2018-10-29 |
The most significant filing came from Bimbo Bakeries USA at its Madison facility, reporting 159 affected workers. Bimbo Bakeries followed with 159 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Wisconsin labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Other 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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