Wisconsin Layoffs — February 2020
Employers in Wisconsin logged 9 WARN Act notices in February 2020, involving roughly 524 workers — falling below January and down 52% versus February 2019. The average filing covered 58 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 3 | 201 |
| Retail | 2 | 180 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 62 |
| Government | 2 | 51 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 30 |
The Transportation sector dominated layoff filings with 201 workers across 3 notices. Meanwhile, Retail reported 180 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Waukesha | 5 | 285 |
| Dane | 1 | 109 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 62 |
| Wood | 1 | 38 |
| Winnebago | 1 | 30 |
Waukesha saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 54% of all affected workers with 285 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Prairie | 1 | 109 |
| Pewaukee | 2 | 106 |
| Sussex | 1 | 95 |
| New Berlin | 1 | 71 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 62 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 424 |
The high proportion of closures (81% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riddell Sports Group | Sun Prairie | 109 | Closure | |
| Bear Down Logistics Central | Sussex | 95 | Closure | |
| Cascio Music | New Berlin | 71 | Closure | |
| Black Horse Carriers | Pewaukee | 68 | Closure | |
| U.S. Bank | Milwaukee | 62 | ||
| IDEXX Distribution | Marshfield | 38 | Closure | |
| Black Horse Carriers Inc. - Revision 1 | Pewaukee | 38 | ||
| Compass Group | Neenah | 30 | Closure | |
| IDEXX Distribution | Waukesha | 13 | Closure |
The biggest impact was at Riddell Sports Group at its Sun Prairie facility, reporting 109 affected workers. Bear Down Logistics Central followed with 95 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This data points to a easing in workforce disruptions across Wisconsin, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Transportation 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.