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

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Only three of 20 April indicators registererd improvementfrom year-ago matching the number of upward-pointinhg indicators recorded in March, the MMAC said in its Economic Trendsd report. "The employment situation continued to deteriorate with deepenint job declines and unemployment indicators over double what they were one year saidBret Mayborne, economic research director for the "But metro area existing homes sales rose for only the seconxd time in nearly three years giving some hope for near-term improvement in a stagnan t local housing and real estatse market." Nonfarm employment in the metro area fell 4.8 perceny in April to 812,300, down from March’ s 4.
3 percent decrease. Employment levels have now declined comparerdwith year-ago levels in each of the past 12 with April’s decline being the steepest registeredf in this period, the MMAC Only two of 10 major industry sectora registered April job gaind compared with one year ago, whiler eight registered declines. Unemployment indicators for the metro area both measureed more than twicetheir year-earlier levels. The number of unemployef in metro Milwaukeerose 117.6% against year-ago levels, to 70,300 compared with 32,300 in Apriol 2008. Likewise, new unemployment compensation claims rose ata 104.
6 percent rate in Aprip to 12,101, this indicator’s third consecutive year-over-year increass of 100 percent or On the positive existing homes sales for the metro area rose 5.6 percen in April, the first year-over-year increase in this indicator in seveb months and only the second such gain in nearlyy three years.