Wisconsin Layoffs — February 2019
Employers in Wisconsin recorded 7 WARN Act notices in February 2019, covering approximately 1,082 workers — marking a sharp increase from January and up 169% versus February 2018. The average filing covered 155 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 578 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 160 |
| Other | 1 | 140 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 100 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 40 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 35 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 29 |
The Retail sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 578 workers across 1 notice. At the same time, Healthcare reported 160 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | 2 | 718 |
| Milwaukee | 3 | 295 |
| Waukesha | 1 | 40 |
| Monroe | 1 | 29 |
Brown was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 66% of all affected workers with 718 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| De Pere | 1 | 578 |
| Milwaukee | 3 | 295 |
| Green Bay | 1 | 140 |
| Brookfield | 1 | 40 |
| Tomah | 1 | 29 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 873 |
The high proportion of closures (81% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShopKo | De Pere | 578 | Closure | |
| Wellspring of Milwaukee | Milwaukee | 160 | Closure | |
| Shopko Store Support Center | Green Bay | 140 | ||
| Armor Correctional Health Service | Milwaukee | 100 | Closure | |
| U.S. Bank | Brookfield | 40 | ||
| Abqc | Milwaukee | 35 | Closure | |
| Covia | Tomah | 29 |
Leading the list was ShopKo at its De Pere facility, reporting 578 affected workers. Wellspring of Milwaukee followed with 160 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect 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.