Wisconsin Layoffs — April 2020
Employers in Wisconsin logged 41 WARN Act notices in April 2020, involving roughly 3,048 workers — falling below March and up 195% versus April 2019. The average filing covered 74 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 13 | 1,139 |
| Manufacturing | 12 | 1,092 |
| Government | 2 | 248 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 140 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 128 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 76 |
| Transportation | 2 | 58 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 55 |
The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 1,139 workers across 13 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 1,092 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | 3 | 509 |
| Sauk | 1 | 393 |
| Dane | 5 | 392 |
| Milwaukee | 6 | 293 |
| Manitowoc | 1 | 219 |
Brown bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 17% of all affected workers with 509 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Baraboo | 1 | 393 |
| Appleton | 2 | 384 |
| Milwaukee | 5 | 290 |
| Madison | 2 | 274 |
| Manitowoc | 1 | 219 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 650 |
| Layoff | 2 | 146 |
Closures accounted for 21% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSC Communications | Baraboo | 393 | ||
| Foot Locker | Appleton | 261 | ||
| Manitowoc-Two Rivers YMCA | Manitowoc | 219 | Closure | |
| Nordstrom | Madison | 218 | ||
| The Finish Line | Green Bay | 131 | ||
| Milwaukee Center for Independence | Milwaukee | 128 | ||
| Abercrombie & Fitch | Appleton | 123 | Closure | |
| Marquis Yachts | Pulaski | 117 | ||
| Sentry Services | Stevens Point | 112 | Closure | |
| Hutchinson Technology | Eau Claire | 110 | ||
| Visionworks | Kenosha | 97 | Closure | |
| Global Finishing Solutions | Osseo | 94 | ||
| Kohler Co. - Revision 1 | Kohler | 75 | Layoff | |
| Cascio Music Co. Inc. - Revision 1 | New Berlin | 71 | Layoff | |
| Ashley Furniture Industries | Whitehall | 70 |
The biggest impact was at LSC Communications at its Baraboo facility, reporting 393 affected workers. Foot Locker followed with 261 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This data points to a mixed picture for Wisconsin's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.