Wisconsin Layoffs — October 2018
Employers in Wisconsin filed 8 WARN Act notices in October 2018, impacting roughly 760 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 28% versus October 2017. The average filing covered 95 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | 242 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 217 |
| Transportation | 1 | 107 |
| Government | 1 | 97 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 65 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 32 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 242 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 217 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 3 | 339 |
| Kenosha | 2 | 172 |
| Dane | 1 | 159 |
| Washington | 1 | 58 |
| Chippewa | 1 | 32 |
Milwaukee bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 45% of all affected workers with 339 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 2 | 201 |
| Madison | 1 | 159 |
| Greenfield | 1 | 138 |
| Kenosha | 1 | 107 |
| Pleasant Prairie | 1 | 65 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 405 |
The high proportion of closures (53% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bimbo Bakeries | Madison | 159 | ||
| Target | Greenfield | 138 | ||
| Black Horse Carriers | Kenosha | 107 | Closure | |
| Home Owners Bargain Outlet | Milwaukee | 104 | Closure | |
| Milwaukee Athletic Club | Milwaukee | 97 | Closure | |
| Southwire/Coleman Cable | Pleasant Prairie | 65 | Closure | |
| Sunlite Plastics | Germantown | 58 | ||
| Iron Mountain Trap Rock | Bloomer | 32 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Bimbo Bakeries at its Madison facility, reporting 159 affected workers. Target followed with 138 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.