Wisconsin Layoffs — January 2019
Employers in Wisconsin recorded 10 WARN Act notices in January 2019, covering approximately 960 workers — marking a sharp increase from December and up 5% versus January 2018. The average filing covered 96 workers, with 9 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 3 | 631 |
| Manufacturing | 6 | 263 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 66 |
The Retail sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 631 workers across 3 notices. At the same time, Manufacturing reported 263 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Oneida | 1 | 289 |
| Wood | 1 | 279 |
| Winnebago | 1 | 74 |
| Milwaukee | 2 | 68 |
| Vernon | 1 | 65 |
Oneida felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 30% of all affected workers with 289 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Rhinelander | 1 | 289 |
| Marshfield | 1 | 279 |
| Neenah | 1 | 74 |
| Glendale | 1 | 66 |
| Westby | 1 | 65 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 9 | 930 |
The high proportion of closures (97% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petco - Drs. Foster & Smith | Rhinelander | 289 | Closure | |
| Figi's Companies | Marshfield | 279 | Closure | |
| Kimberly-Clark | Neenah | 74 | Closure | |
| Dycora Transitional Health - Colonial Manor | Glendale | 66 | Closure | |
| Lacrosse Hardwood Flooring | Westby | 65 | Closure | |
| Shopko Stores | Madison | 63 | Closure | |
| Pepin Health and Rehab | Pepin | 54 | Closure | |
| Compass Minerals America | Kenosha | 38 | Closure | |
| Alkar-Rapid Pak | Lodi | 30 | ||
| Becton, Dickinson and | Franklin | 2 | Closure |
Leading the list was Petco - Drs. Foster & Smith at its Rhinelander facility, reporting 289 affected workers. Figi's Companies followed with 279 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect 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.