Wisconsin Layoffs — April 2024
Employers in Wisconsin filed 9 WARN Act notices in April 2024, impacting roughly 989 workers — representing a notable rise over 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 led the way in workforce reductions with 407 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, 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 saw the most concentrated activity, 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 single largest action involved 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.
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.