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News of the Day May 4, 2026
Wisconsin Lost Thousands of Manufacturing Jobs in 2025
Wisconsin lost thousands of manufacturing jobs in 2025, driven in part by an aging workforce and hesitancy to expand hiring in an uncertain economy.
Between January 2025 and January 2026, the state’s manufacturing workforce shrank by about 9,500 jobs, falling from 461,100 workers to 451,600, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The manufacturing workforce nationally declined by about 91,000 jobs over the same period.
Industry leaders say the job losses were driven more by worker retirements than widespread layoffs, though shifting tariffs and broader economic uncertainty have made some manufacturers more reluctant to hire.
The state’s manufacturing workforce generally follows national trends. Both contracted sharply during the 2008 Great Recession and gained ground during the 2010s, according to federal data.
The manufacturing workforce shrank again during the COVID-19 pandemic, before growing steadily until late 2022 in Wisconsin. From April 2020 to October 2022, Wisconsin’s manufacturing workforce grew from 438,900 workers to 484,300, but it has declined steadily since, federal data shows.