Wisconsin Layoffs — January 2018
Employers in Wisconsin filed 10 WARN Act notices in January 2018, impacting roughly 911 workers — representing a notable rise over December and up 263% versus January 2017. The average filing covered 91 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 6 | 534 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 260 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 117 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 534 workers across 6 notices. In a parallel development, Finance & Insurance reported 260 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Outagamie | 3 | 335 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 165 |
| Waukesha | 2 | 150 |
| Dane | 1 | 129 |
| Marathon | 1 | 63 |
Outagamie felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 37% of all affected workers with 335 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Appleton | 3 | 335 |
| West Allis | 1 | 165 |
| Madison | 1 | 129 |
| Oconomowoc | 1 | 91 |
| Wausau | 1 | 63 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 549 |
| Layoff | 2 | 260 |
The high proportion of closures (60% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam's Club | West Allis | 165 | Closure | |
| Jackson National Life Insurance - Revision 3 | Appleton | 145 | Layoff | |
| Sam's Club | Madison | 129 | Closure | |
| Jackson National Life Insurance - Revision 2 | Appleton | 115 | Layoff | |
| Lake Country Foods | Oconomowoc | 91 | Closure | |
| Younkers | Appleton | 75 | Closure | |
| Younkers | Wausau | 63 | Closure | |
| Sears Holdings | Brookfield | 59 | ||
| Sears Holdings | Green Bay | 43 | ||
| ACCO Brands | Pleasant Prairie | 26 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Sam's Club at its West Allis facility, reporting 165 affected workers. Jackson National Life Insurance - Revision 3 followed with 145 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.