Wisconsin Layoffs — April 2024
Employers in Wisconsin logged 9 WARN Act notices in April 2024, involving roughly 989 workers — climbing above March and up 108% versus April 2023. The average filing covered 110 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 407 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 252 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 128 |
| Retail | 1 | 105 |
| Education | 2 | 97 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 407 workers across 4 notices. Meanwhile, Wholesale Trade reported 252 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Rusk | 1 | 338 |
| Milwaukee | 4 | 307 |
| Dodge | 1 | 252 |
| Barron | 1 | 38 |
| Polk | 1 | 30 |
Rusk absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 34% of all affected workers with 338 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Hawkins | 1 | 338 |
| Beaver Dam | 1 | 252 |
| Milwaukee | 3 | 179 |
| Franklin | 1 | 128 |
| Barron | 1 | 38 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 935 |
The high proportion of closures (95% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Wisconsin's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeld-Wen | Hawkins | 338 | Closure | |
| Conagra Brands | Beaver Dam | 252 | Closure | |
| Sientra | Franklin | 128 | Closure | |
| Walmart | Milwaukee | 105 | Closure | |
| Messmer Catholic Schools | Milwaukee | 73 | Closure | |
| Jennie-O Turkey Store | Barron | 38 | Closure | |
| Cadrex Manufacturing Solutions | Dresser | 30 | ||
| Concordia University | Mequon | 24 | ||
| Volta Charging Industries | Milwaukee | 1 | Closure |
The biggest impact was at Jeld-Wen at its Hawkins facility, reporting 338 affected workers. Conagra Brands followed with 252 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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.