WARN Act Layoffs in De Pere, Wisconsin

Analysis: Layoffs in De Pere, Wisconsin

# Economic Analysis: De Pere Layoff Landscape

Overview: Scale and Significance of De Pere's Workforce Reductions

De Pere, Wisconsin has experienced a cumulative workforce reduction of 938 employees across four WARN Act notices since 2019, representing a concentrated but episodic pattern of labor market disruption. This figure, while modest in absolute terms relative to Wisconsin's total workforce, carries outsized significance for a city of De Pere's size. The concentration of these layoffs—with a single retail closure accounting for more than 61 percent of affected workers—demonstrates the vulnerability of small labor markets to large-employer exits.

The geographic clustering of these reductions in De Pere reflects broader patterns affecting Wisconsin's economic base. The state's insured unemployment rate stands at 1.08 percent as of April 2026, well below the national rate of 1.26 percent, suggesting Wisconsin's labor market remains relatively resilient despite localized disruptions. However, the four-week trend in Wisconsin jobless claims shows volatility, rising 14.2 percent in the most recent period even as year-over-year comparisons show a 50 percent decline. This mixed signal indicates that while Wisconsin has recovered substantially from earlier pandemic-era dislocations, pockets of instability persist.

Retail Collapse Dominates De Pere's Layoff Profile

The most significant employment shock in De Pere's recent history came from ShopKo, which filed a single WARN notice affecting 578 workers—accounting for more than 61 percent of all layoffs tracked in the city. ShopKo, a regional department store chain, represents the type of traditional retail employer that has faced existential pressure throughout the 2010s and 2020s. The retailer's closure exemplifies the structural decline in brick-and-mortar retail, accelerated by e-commerce competition and consumer preference shifts toward online shopping. This single event effectively represents a major economic shock to De Pere's employment base.

The remaining 360 affected workers are distributed across three employers in transportation and manufacturing sectors. Spectrum America Supply Chain Solutions filed notice affecting 216 workers, while NDSM De Pere reduced its workforce by 135 employees. Spectrum Transportation Services reported the smallest reduction at nine workers. These layoffs suggest broader challenges in supply chain operations and logistics sectors, though the data does not clarify whether these reductions reflect automation, outsourcing, or demand contraction.

Industry Dynamics: Transportation Volatility and Manufacturing Pressure

De Pere's layoff pattern reveals exposure to two economically significant but distinct challenges. Transportation and logistics operations account for two notices and 225 affected workers, indicating that De Pere functions as a hub for supply chain operations. The sector's presence in the city reflects its geographic position within Wisconsin's logistics corridor. The combined impact of Spectrum America Supply Chain Solutions and Spectrum Transportation Services suggests that consolidation or efficiency improvements within the broader supply chain sector generated workforce reductions.

Manufacturing, represented by NDSM De Pere's 135-worker reduction, reflects ongoing structural challenges in Wisconsin's manufacturing base. While Wisconsin maintains a stronger manufacturing presence than much of the nation, automation, global competition, and supply chain restructuring continue to pressure employment levels. The 135-worker reduction at a single facility indicates that NDSM De Pere was a significant employer, and its reduction signals either operational consolidation or fundamental demand challenges for its products or services.

The retail sector's 578-worker contribution to De Pere's layoff total stands as a stark reminder of retail's ongoing collapse. Unlike manufacturing, which maintains some growth potential through productivity improvements and reshoring, traditional retail has no structural recovery path. ShopKo's exit is permanent and irreversible within De Pere's economy.

Historical Timing: Concentration in 2019 with Recurrent Disruption

The temporal distribution of De Pere's WARN notices reveals a distinct pattern. Three notices occurred in 2019, followed by a three-year gap before a single notice in 2022. This timing suggests that 2019 represented a concentrated shock period, possibly related to broader retail sector consolidation or economic adjustment. The 2022 notice, arriving during a period of tight labor markets and rising inflation, indicates that workforce reductions continued even as national employment conditions improved.

De Pere has not generated any WARN notices in the period from 2022 through 2026, suggesting either labor market stabilization within the city's remaining employers or that further employment disruptions have not reached the WARN threshold. Wisconsin's overall unemployment rate of 3.3 percent in January 2026 indicates substantially improved conditions compared to historical norms, yet this masks the loss of major anchors like ShopKo.

Local Economic Impact: Employment Base Erosion and Multiplier Effects

The loss of 938 jobs in a city the size of De Pere generates cascading economic consequences beyond direct job displacement. The multiplier effects of workforce reductions extend through local retail, services, and housing markets. When 578 retail workers lose employment, the subsequent reduction in local spending power affects restaurants, service providers, and other consumer-facing businesses. Property tax revenue declines as commercial real estate values adjust to reflect the loss of anchor tenants.

The concentration of layoffs in retail and transportation creates particular vulnerability. Retail workers typically earn lower wages than manufacturing or professional services employees, meaning displaced workers face acute reemployment challenges. De Pere's proximity to Green Bay and other regional employment centers may mitigate some of this impact, allowing workers to commute for employment, but commuting increases costs and reduces local economic circulation.

The manufacturing reduction of 135 workers at NDSM De Pere carries different implications. Manufacturing positions typically offer higher wages and benefits than retail, meaning their loss represents a meaningful contraction in middle-class employment. The occupations affected likely included skilled trades, machine operators, and other positions requiring training and offering family-sustaining incomes.

Regional Context: De Pere Within Wisconsin's Labor Market

De Pere's experience diverges from Wisconsin's aggregate experience in instructive ways. While Wisconsin's statewide insured unemployment rate of 1.08 percent suggests a tight labor market, this masks significant sectoral and geographic variation. The concentration of WARN notices in De Pere indicates that pockets of substantial disruption persist even within an otherwise strong labor market.

Wisconsin's H-1B visa petition data shows 38,169 certified petitions from 4,564 unique employers across the state, with significant concentration in computer and software occupations. The average H-1B salary of $104,606 far exceeds wages in De Pere's traditional retail and logistics sectors, indicating a bifurcated labor market. High-skill, high-wage employment concentrates in technology and professional services, while De Pere's economy relies on lower-wage retail and operations work.

The lack of H-1B petition data specifically tied to De Pere employers suggests these companies do not participate significantly in foreign worker visa programs. ShopKo, Spectrum America Supply Chain Solutions, and NDSM De Pere apparently rely on domestic labor markets for workforce recruitment. This stands in sharp contrast to Wisconsin's leading H-1B employers—INFOSYS LIMITED, INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED, and CAPGEMINI AMERICA INC—which collectively sponsor thousands of foreign worker petitions. De Pere employers exist in an entirely different economic ecosystem.

Forward Risk Assessment

The broader context of SEC 8-K filings and bankruptcy data indicates continued economic pressure across multiple sectors. Six SEC filings referencing restructuring and layoffs emerged within 30 days of this analysis, while 530 Chapter 11 bankruptcies matched to WARN companies in the past 90 days. These signals suggest that workforce reduction pressures remain active at the national level.

De Pere faces ongoing risk from further retail consolidation and continued logistics sector evolution. The city's economic resilience will depend on whether employers in healthcare, professional services, or advanced manufacturing can develop presence comparable to the lost retail and transportation anchors. The tight regional labor market and proximity to Green Bay offer offsetting advantages, but rebuilding an employment base after major anchor loss typically requires sustained economic development efforts and structural transformation rather than cyclical improvement.