Wisconsin Layoffs — March 2023
Employers in Wisconsin filed 22 WARN Act notices in March 2023, impacting roughly 972 workers — representing a notable rise over February and up 59% versus March 2022. The average filing covered 44 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 341 |
| Healthcare | 14 | 203 |
| Transportation | 1 | 189 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 161 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 46 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 29 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 3 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 341 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Healthcare reported 203 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire | 2 | 253 |
| Milwaukee | 3 | 229 |
| Sheboygan | 1 | 161 |
| Portage | 1 | 104 |
| Wood | 1 | 60 |
Eau Claire was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 26% of all affected workers with 253 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire | 2 | 253 |
| Milwaukee | 3 | 229 |
| Sheboygan | 1 | 161 |
| Plover | 1 | 104 |
| Marshfield | 1 | 60 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 457 |
Closures accounted for 47% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
The single largest action involved Hutchinson Technology at its Eau Claire facility, reporting 237 affected workers. Yellow followed with 189 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Wisconsin labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.