Wisconsin Layoffs — January 2016
Employers in Wisconsin filed 9 WARN Act notices in January 2016, impacting roughly 986 workers. The average filing covered 110 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 4 | 487 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 269 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 135 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2 | 95 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 487 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 269 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 3 | 485 |
| Waukesha | 3 | 265 |
| Dane | 1 | 141 |
| Brown | 1 | 50 |
| Racine | 1 | 45 |
Milwaukee bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 49% of all affected workers with 485 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 2 | 407 |
| Madison | 1 | 141 |
| New Berlin | 1 | 128 |
| Wauwatosa | 1 | 78 |
| Menomonee Falls | 1 | 76 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 801 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart #3496 | Milwaukee | 272 | Closure | |
| Oscar Meyer Div, Kraft Heinz Food | Madison | 141 | Closure | |
| JP Morgan Chase & | Milwaukee | 135 | ||
| BuySeasons | New Berlin | 128 | Closure | |
| Walmart #3030 | Wauwatosa | 78 | Closure | |
| Walmart #3031 | Menomonee Falls | 76 | Closure | |
| Walmart #5698 | Waukesha | 61 | Closure | |
| Grainger - Imperial Supplies | Green Bay | 50 | ||
| Sealed Air | Mount Pleasant | 45 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Walmart #3496 at its Milwaukee facility, reporting 272 affected workers. Oscar Meyer Div, Kraft Heinz Food followed with 141 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.