Wisconsin Layoffs — October 2023
Employers in Wisconsin posted 10 WARN Act notices in October 2023, affecting an estimated 843 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to September and up 240% versus October 2022. The average filing covered 84 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 384 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 223 |
| Transportation | 1 | 127 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 60 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 44 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 5 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 384 workers across 5 notices. On a related front, Information & Technology reported 223 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Outagamie | 1 | 223 |
| Grant | 1 | 172 |
| Milwaukee | 2 | 171 |
| Waukesha | 1 | 66 |
| Rock | 1 | 65 |
Outagamie was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 26% of all affected workers with 223 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Appleton | 1 | 223 |
| Fennimore | 1 | 172 |
| Franklin | 1 | 127 |
| New Berlin | 1 | 66 |
| Beloit | 1 | 65 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 466 |
The high proportion of closures (55% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier Staffing | Appleton | 223 | Closure | |
| Energizer Manufacturing | Fennimore | 172 | Closure | |
| Strauss Brands & Logistics | Franklin | 127 | ||
| Process Retail Group | New Berlin | 66 | Closure | |
| NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes | Beloit | 65 | ||
| Nasco Healthcare | Jefferson | 60 | ||
| Dowco | Manitowoc | 53 | ||
| BMO Bank N.A | Milwaukee | 44 | ||
| NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes | Madison | 28 | ||
| GoodFellaz Pizza | Spring Green | 5 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Premier Staffing at its Appleton facility, reporting 223 affected workers. Energizer Manufacturing followed with 172 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 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.