Wisconsin Layoffs — October 2017
Employers in Wisconsin reported 6 WARN Act notices in October 2017, displacing an estimated 594 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and down 34% versus October 2016. The average filing covered 99 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 380 |
| Transportation | 1 | 159 |
| Other | 1 | 53 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 2 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 380 workers across 3 notices. Notably, Transportation reported 159 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Dane | 2 | 260 |
| Outagamie | 2 | 211 |
| Fond du Lac | 1 | 70 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 53 |
Dane bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 44% of all affected workers with 260 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Waunakee | 1 | 258 |
| Greenville | 1 | 159 |
| Ripon | 1 | 70 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 53 |
| Appleton | 1 | 52 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 380 |
The high proportion of closures (64% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webcrafters | Waunakee | 258 | Closure | |
| Ryder | Greenville | 159 | ||
| Spartech Packaging | Ripon | 70 | Closure | |
| Molina Healthcare | Milwaukee | 53 | ||
| U.S. Paper Converters | Appleton | 52 | Closure | |
| Mad Design and Marketing | Madison | 2 |
The most significant filing came from Webcrafters at its Waunakee facility, reporting 258 affected workers. Ryder followed with 159 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate 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.