Minnesota Layoffs — May 2018
Employers in Minnesota submitted 9 WARN Act notices in May 2018, putting at risk an estimated 451 workers — down from April. The average filing covered 50 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 113 |
| Retail | 2 | 55 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 29 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 113 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Retail reported 55 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Hennepin | 3 | 206 |
| Crow Wing | 2 | 161 |
| Stearns | 1 | 30 |
| Rice | 1 | 25 |
| Anoka | 1 | 15 |
Hennepin absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 46% of all affected workers with 206 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley | 1 | 137 |
| New Ulm | 1 | 113 |
| Willmar | 1 | 48 |
| Richfield | 1 | 40 |
| St. Cloud | 1 | 30 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in Minnesota this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Wild Wings | Golden Valley | 137 | ||
| Elkay Manufacturing | New Ulm | 113 | ||
| Erc | Willmar | 48 | ||
| Best Buy Mobile | Richfield | 40 | ||
| Pilgrim's Pride - Admin | St. Cloud | 30 | ||
| Eci-JobBOSS | Minnetonka | 29 | ||
| Ifp-Balchem | Faribault | 25 | ||
| Target Corporation 2019 | Minneapolis | 15 | ||
| Twin Cities Optical | Staples | 14 |
Topping the list was Buffalo Wild Wings at its Golden Valley facility, reporting 137 affected workers. Elkay Manufacturing followed with 113 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
These figures highlight a mixed picture for Minnesota'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 Minnesota. 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 Minnesota WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.