Wisconsin Layoffs — August 2017
Employers in Wisconsin posted 7 WARN Act notices in August 2017, affecting an estimated 2,351 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to July and up 228% versus August 2016. The average filing covered 336 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 3 | 1,460 |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 666 |
| Other | 1 | 225 |
The Retail sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,460 workers across 3 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 666 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Barron | 1 | 1,008 |
| Outagamie | 1 | 620 |
| Dane | 2 | 452 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 225 |
| Dodge | 2 | 46 |
Barron was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 43% of all affected workers with 1,008 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Arcadia | 1 | 1,008 |
| Combined Locks | 1 | 620 |
| Fitchburg | 1 | 313 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 225 |
| Brookfield | 1 | 139 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 2,351 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordy's Chippewa Foods | Arcadia | 1,008 | Closure | |
| Appleton Coated | Combined Locks | 620 | Closure | |
| PDQ Food Stores | Fitchburg | 313 | Closure | |
| Fortis Management Group | Milwaukee | 225 | Closure | |
| Brennan's Market | Brookfield | 139 | Closure | |
| Thunder Pallet | Theresa | 42 | Closure | |
| Marobo | Mayville | 4 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Gordy's Chippewa Foods at its Arcadia facility, reporting 1,008 affected workers. Appleton Coated followed with 620 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest 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.