Wisconsin Layoffs — April 2018
Employers in Wisconsin posted 3 WARN Act notices in April 2018, affecting an estimated 4,695 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to March and up 450% versus April 2017. The average filing covered 1565 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | 4,510 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 185 |
The Retail sector saw the heaviest impact with 4,510 workers across 2 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 185 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | 1 | 2,255 |
| Waukesha | 1 | 2,255 |
| Kenosha | 1 | 185 |
Brown felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 48% of all affected workers with 2,255 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Brookfield | 2 | 4,510 |
| Wilmot | 1 | 185 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 2,440 |
The high proportion of closures (52% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Ton Stores (Younkers, Boston Store, BonTon) | Brookfield | 2,255 | Closure | |
| Younkers | Brookfield | 2,255 | ||
| American Girl | Wilmot | 185 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Bon Ton Stores (Younkers, Boston Store, BonTon) at its Brookfield facility, reporting 2,255 affected workers. Younkers followed with 2,255 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.