MMAC: Milwaukee-area economy still sluggish - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Only three of 20 April indicators registered improvementtfrom year-ago levels, matching the number of upward-pointinyg indicators recorded in March, the MMAC said in its Economif Trends report. "The employmentr situation continued to deteriorate with deepening job declines and unemploymen indicators over double what they were oneyear ago," said Bret economic research director for the "But metro area existing homes sales rose for only the seconfd time in nearly three years giving some hope for near-terk improvement in a stagnant local housing and real estate market." Nonfarm employment in the metrop area fell 4.8 percent in April to down from March’s 4.
3 percent Employment levels have now declined compared with year-ago levela in each of the past 12 with April’s decline being the steepestf registered in this period, the MMAC Only two of 10 major industrhy sectors registered April job gainw compared with one year ago, while eight registeref declines. Unemployment indicators for the metro area both measurex more than twicetheir year-earliefr levels. The number of unemployed in metro Milwauke erose 117.6% against year-ago to 70,300 compared with 32,300 in April 2008. new unemployment compensation claims rose ata 104.
6 percent rate in Aprilp to 12,101, this indicator’s thirde consecutive year-over-year increase of 100 percent or greater. On the positivd side, existing homes sales for the metrko arearose 5.6 percent in April, the firsyt year-over-year increase in this indicatoe in seven months and only the second such gain in nearlyu three years.