Milwaukee Unemployment Dropped

Milwaukee-area employment improved:

The Milwaukee area added 7,600 jobs in the past 12 months and improved its unemployment rate from March 2006, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development reported Wednesday.

Preliminary data show the four-county Milwaukee area as one of only four Wisconsin metropolitan areas with lower unemployment last month than a year ago.

The unemployment rate for the area - Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties - dipped to 5.2% in March from 5.3% in March 2006, the state reported.

In the same period, the Milwaukee area added 7,600 jobs - more than triple the statewide net increase of 2,400. It was the 34th consecutive month of year-over-year gains in the Milwaukee area's job count.

Now, imagine if the city, region, and state had a pro-growth strategy. There are bright spots to the local economy. Milwaukee is the center for the large digging machine industry. There is also plenty of promise in health care and biotechnology. We need serious leadership that understands the needs of business instead of simply looking at them as sources of money for runaway spending.