Wisconsin Layoffs — May 2019
Employers in Wisconsin recorded 4 WARN Act notices in May 2019, covering approximately 222 workers — marking a decline from April and down 87% versus May 2018. The average filing covered 56 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 80 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 52 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 51 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 39 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 80 workers across 1 notice. At the same time, Mining & Energy reported 52 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Langlade | 1 | 80 |
| Pierce | 1 | 52 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 51 |
| Racine | 1 | 39 |
Langlade saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 36% of all affected workers with 80 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Antigo | 1 | 80 |
| Maiden Rock | 1 | 52 |
| Brown Deer | 1 | 51 |
| Racine | 1 | 39 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 1 | 80 |
Closures accounted for 36% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merit Gear | Antigo | 80 | Closure | |
| Covia | Maiden Rock | 52 | ||
| BMO Harris | Brown Deer | 51 | ||
| The Journal Times | Racine | 39 |
Leading the list was Merit Gear at its Antigo facility, reporting 80 affected workers. Covia followed with 52 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The filings reflect a easing in workforce disruptions across Wisconsin, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Manufacturing 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.