Wisconsin Layoffs — April 2017
Employers in Wisconsin posted 5 WARN Act notices in April 2017, affecting an estimated 853 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to March and roughly flat versus April 2016. The average filing covered 171 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 501 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 302 |
| Retail | 1 | 50 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 501 workers across 3 notices. On a related front, Accommodation & Food reported 302 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Outagamie | 1 | 380 |
| Jefferson | 1 | 302 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 66 |
| Rock | 1 | 55 |
| Eau Claire | 1 | 50 |
Outagamie absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 45% of all affected workers with 380 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Appleton | 2 | 430 |
| Whitewater | 1 | 302 |
| Franklin | 1 | 66 |
| Beloit | 1 | 55 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 116 |
Closures accounted for 14% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VF Outdoor | Appleton | 380 | ||
| Compass Group USA | Whitewater | 302 | ||
| The Garvey Group | Franklin | 66 | Closure | |
| Babcock and Wilcox Universal | Beloit | 55 | ||
| Dollar Express | Appleton | 50 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by VF Outdoor at its Appleton facility, reporting 380 affected workers. Compass Group USA followed with 302 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for Wisconsin's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing 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.