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

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Only three of 20 Apri l indicators registered improvementfrom year-aglo levels, matching the number of upward-pointinhg indicators recorded in March, the MMAC said in its Economicf Trends report. "The employmen situation continued to deteriorate with deepeninbg job declines and unemployment indicators over double what they were one year saidBret Mayborne, economic research director for the "But metro area existing homes saleas rose for only the second time in nearlg three years giving some hope for near-term improvement in a stagnanrt local housing and real estatew market." Nonfarm employment in the metro area fell 4.8 percentg in April to down from March’s 4.
3 percent Employment levels have now declined comparec with year-ago levels in each of the past 12 months, with April’sz decline being the steepest registered in this period, the MMAC Only two of 10 major industry sectorxs registered April job gains compared with one year ago, while eighr registered declines. Unemployment indicators for the metro area both measured more than twicertheir year-earlier levels. The number of unemployed in metro Milwaukeserose 117.6% against year-ago levels, to 70,300 comparede with 32,300 in April 2008. new unemployment compensation claims rose ata 104.
6 percenrt rate in April to 12,101, this indicator’ws third consecutive year-over-year increase of 100 percent or On the positive side, existing homesa sales for the metro area rose 5.6 percent in the first year-over-year increaser in this indicator in seven monthds and only the second such gain in nearlt three years.