Wisconsin Layoffs — October 2020
Employers in Wisconsin posted 12 WARN Act notices in October 2020, affecting an estimated 503 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to September and up 61% versus October 2019. The average filing covered 42 workers, with 8 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 166 |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 105 |
| Real Estate | 3 | 67 |
| Education | 1 | 66 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 54 |
| Construction | 1 | 45 |
The Accommodation & Food sector saw the heaviest impact with 166 workers across 3 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 105 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Dane | 2 | 135 |
| Waukesha | 2 | 96 |
| Milwaukee | 2 | 93 |
| Jackson | 2 | 89 |
| Eau Claire | 1 | 54 |
Dane was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 27% of all affected workers with 135 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | 2 | 135 |
| Hixton | 2 | 89 |
| Elm Grove | 1 | 66 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 62 |
| Eau Claire | 1 | 54 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 8 | 293 |
The high proportion of closures (58% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avenue Club | Madison | 80 | ||
| School Sisters of Notre Dame | Elm Grove | 66 | Closure | |
| Progressive Parking Solutions | Milwaukee | 62 | Closure | |
| Johnny Delmonico's | Madison | 55 | ||
| Eau Claire Anesthesiologists | Eau Claire | 54 | Closure | |
| Turnkey Processing Sollutions/WP Operations | Hixton | 45 | Closure | |
| Turnkey Processing Solutions/WP Operations | Hixton | 44 | ||
| IHG Management (Maryland) | Wauwatosa | 31 | ||
| Maple Leaf Cheesemakers | Monroe | 31 | Closure | |
| W.M. Sprinkman | Waukesha | 30 | Closure | |
| Progressive Parking Solutions | Grafton | 3 | Closure | |
| Progressive Parking Solutions | Kenosha | 2 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Avenue Club at its Madison facility, reporting 80 affected workers. School Sisters of Notre Dame followed with 66 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Wisconsin labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Accommodation & Food 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.