Wisconsin Layoffs — May 2018
Employers in Wisconsin filed 9 WARN Act notices in May 2018, impacting roughly 1,739 workers — representing a pullback from April and up 442% versus May 2017. The average filing covered 193 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | 652 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 651 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 128 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 123 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 100 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 85 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 652 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Arts & Entertainment reported 651 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 3 | 828 |
| Brown | 1 | 326 |
| Outagamie | 1 | 326 |
| Dane | 1 | 98 |
| Jefferson | 1 | 85 |
Milwaukee saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 48% of all affected workers with 828 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 2 | 728 |
| Appleton | 2 | 652 |
| Brown Deer and Glendale | 1 | 100 |
| Madison | 1 | 98 |
| Watertown | 1 | 85 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 782 |
| Layoff | 1 | 326 |
Closures accounted for 45% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMO Harris Bradley Center | Milwaukee | 651 | Closure | |
| Toys "R" Us, Inc. - Revision 1 | Appleton | 326 | Layoff | |
| Toys R Us | Appleton | 326 | ||
| First Citizens Bank - Revision 1 | Brown Deer and Glendale | 100 | ||
| Interim Healthcare of Wisconsin | Madison | 98 | ||
| Western Industries | Watertown | 85 | Closure | |
| Concentrix | Milwaukee | 77 | ||
| M.G. Design Associates | Pleasant Prairie | 46 | Closure | |
| Degen-Berglund | La Crosse | 30 |
The single largest action involved BMO Harris Bradley Center at its Milwaukee facility, reporting 651 affected workers. Toys "R" Us, Inc. - Revision 1 followed with 326 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a mixed picture for Wisconsin's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.