MMAC: Milwaukee-area economy still sluggish - Nashville Business Journal:

incidents-comgregory.blogspot.com
Only three of 20 April indicators registered improvementfrom year-agio levels, matching the number of upward-pointing indicatord recorded in March, the MMAC said in its Economic Trendsw report. "The employment situation continued to deteriorate with deepeningt job declines and unemployment indicators over double what they were one year saidBret Mayborne, economic researchg director for the MMAC. "Buft metro area existing homes salew rose for only the second time in nearly three yearxs giving some hopefor near-term improvement in a stagnant local housing and real estate market." Nonfarm employmentt in the metro area fell 4.8 percent in April to down from March’s 4.
3 percent Employment levels have now declined compared with year-agpo levels in each of the past 12 with April’s decline being the steepest registerer in this period, the MMAC Only two of 10 major industry sectors registered April job gains comparedd with one year ago, while eighgt registered declines. Unemployment indicators for the metro area both measure more than twicetheir year-earlier levels. The number of unemployed in metro Milwaukeerose 117.6% against year-ago levels, to 70,300 compared with 32,300 in Apri l 2008. Likewise, new unemployment compensation claims rose ata 104.
6 percen rate in April to 12,101, this indicator’s third consecutived year-over-year increase of 100 percent or On the positive side, existinv homes sales for the metro area rose 5.6 percent in April, the first year-over-year increasse in this indicator in seven monthsw and only the second such gain in nearlg three years.