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Wisconsin jobs and job market: layoffs, colleges and workforce help

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is 3.2%. 3,685 open professional jobs are listed here. Employers filed 62 layoff notices in the last 12 months. Choose a county or city for the same picture closer to home.

Independent page. Not from or affiliated with the State of Wisconsin.

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Wisconsin economy

  • 3.2%

    unemployment, Sep 2026

    3.1% the month before

  • 3,158,471

    in the labor force

    Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

  • 5,892,023

    people in Wisconsin

    Source: U.S. Census Bureau

  • $75,670

    median household income

    Source: Census ACS

  • 40%

    of workers in white-collar occupations

    Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Wisconsin outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

  • Private-sector jobs up 2.0% from 2022 to 2025
  • Population up 1.3% from 2020 to 2025
  • Unemployment 2.9%, up 0.2 points from a year ago
  • Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+30,028 jobs), hotels & food (+16,561 jobs)
  • Sectors losing the most jobs: manufacturing (−18,182 jobs), finance & insurance (−10,258 jobs)

Local job-market news

Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Wisconsin. Each link goes to the publisher.

Learn and get funded in Wisconsin

Wisconsin layoffs

  • 62

    Layoff notices, last 12 months

  • 4,525

    workers named

    A floor: states may leave out counts

  • 50

    employers

Layoff notices filed in Wisconsin, newest first
Notice dateEmployerCity or countyWorkersTypeSource
Hy Cite Enterprises, LLCTakes effect Nov 5, 2026Middleton78—State record
Midwest Energy Resources Co.Takes effect Jun 30, 2026Superior54—State record
Assist to Transport / Student Transportation of America, Inc.Takes effect Dec 31, 2026Manitowoc39—State record
Family EndeavorsTakes effect Dec 31, 2026Unknown4—State record
M.M.D., LLC d/b/a The Allstaff GroupTakes effect Dec 31, 2026Kenosha148—State record
UMOSTakes effect Dec 31, 2026Milwaukee44—State record
PPD d/b/a Thermo Fisher ScientificTakes effect Sep 28, 2026Middleton71—State record
Maynard Steel Casting Company and Maynard Alloy Casting Company LLCTakes effect Dec 4, 2026Milwaukee77—State record
Bank First, N.A.Takes effect Dec 4, 2026Wausau47—State record
PPD d/b/a Thermo Fisher ScientificTakes effect Sep 28, 2026Middleton69—State record

All layoff notices in the state

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Employers hiring most in Wisconsin

Employers with the most open professional roles on our job board right now.

  1. Michels125 open roles
  2. Creative Financial Staffing69 open roles
  3. GE HealthCare Technologies51 open roles
  4. Plexus45 open roles
  5. Amazon41 open roles
  6. Gecko Hospitality41 open roles
  7. Fleet Farm38 open roles
  8. Charter Communications37 open roles
  9. Froedtert ThedaCare Health36 open roles
  10. Harley-Davidson36 open roles
  11. GPAC35 open roles
  12. Illinois Tool Works29 open roles

Largest employers headquartered in Wisconsin

Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.

Higher education in Wisconsin

  • 46

    public and private non-profit colleges

    Source: IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education

  • about 355,500

    students enrolled

    Estimated from size bands

Largest colleges in Wisconsin

Largest colleges in Wisconsin
CollegeCityTypeStudents
University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonPublic 4-year20,000+
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeMilwaukeePublic 4-year20,000+
Marquette UniversityMilwaukeePrivate non-profit 4-year10,000–19,999
University of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireEau ClairePublic 4-year10,000–19,999
University of Wisconsin-Green BayGreen BayPublic 4-year10,000–19,999
University of Wisconsin-La CrosseLa CrossePublic 4-year10,000–19,999
University of Wisconsin-OshkoshOshkoshPublic 4-year10,000–19,999
University of Wisconsin-WhitewaterWhitewaterPublic 4-year10,000–19,999
Concordia University-WisconsinMequonPrivate non-profit 4-year5,000–9,999
Herzing University-MadisonMadisonPrivate non-profit 4-year5,000–9,999
University of Wisconsin-PlattevillePlattevillePublic 4-year5,000–9,999
University of Wisconsin-River FallsRiver FallsPublic 4-year5,000–9,999

All 46 Wisconsin colleges

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Wisconsin. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in Wisconsin? How to file for unemployment in Wisconsin (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

34 American Job Centers in Wisconsin

Job fairs and business events in Wisconsin

Hiring events, career workshops, small-business counseling and startup events from chambers, job centers, workforce boards, colleges and economic-development groups in Wisconsin.

Conferences in Wisconsin

Industry conferences and trade shows held in Wisconsin, the ones worth a trip for hiring managers and job seekers. 15 with dates announced.

All conferences

Wisconsin counties

Each county page has its own unemployment, layoffs, job openings, employers, colleges and job centers.

Show all 72

Wisconsin cities

Cities with open jobs, layoff notices, a job center or a college.

Show all 145

Laid off or looking for work in Wisconsin?

See what to do first, what Wisconsin unemployment benefits pay, and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS for population, income and unemployment; layoff notices from Wisconsin’s published record; job counts from our live job board, taken from employers’ own career sites; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Wisconsin unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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