Wisconsin Layoffs — January 2023
Employers in Wisconsin reported 20 WARN Act notices in January 2023, displacing an estimated 852 workers — signaling an acceleration from December and up 68% versus January 2022. The average filing covered 43 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 13 | 377 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 195 |
| Transportation | 1 | 106 |
| Other | 1 | 97 |
| Retail | 1 | 52 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 25 |
The Healthcare sector topped the list of affected industries with 377 workers across 13 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 195 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 3 | 242 |
| Waukesha | 2 | 135 |
| Winnebago | 1 | 97 |
| Wood | 1 | 88 |
| Chippewa | 1 | 56 |
Milwaukee felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 28% of all affected workers with 242 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wauwatosa | 1 | 166 |
| New Berlin | 1 | 106 |
| Oshkosh | 1 | 97 |
| Marshfield | 1 | 88 |
| Milwaukee | 2 | 76 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 284 |
Closures accounted for 33% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
The most significant filing came from Briggs & Stratton at its Wauwatosa facility, reporting 166 affected workers. Hubbell Gas Utility Solutions followed with 106 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Wisconsin labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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.