Milwaukee Post
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/885501
6 • Milwaukee County Post • October 6, 2017 Metro Milwaukee unemployment drops 3.9 percent Post Staff MILWAUKEE — Faring better than the nation on the whole, metro Milwaukee's unemploy- ment dropped 0.8 percent- age points from a year ago to 3.9 percent for August, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce reported. Employers are likely finding it harder to fill jobs as key unemployment numbers showed double- digit drops. Although metro Milwaukee's rate ranks higher than that posted for Wisconsin's 3.4 percent, it's lower than the 4.5 per- cent figure posted national- ly. The number of unem- ployed in the metro area fell 14.7 percent in August compared with last year to 33,200, following July's 18.1 percent decrease over July 2016. New unemployment compensation claims fell 14.1 percent in August, to 2,840. The local economy may be slowing down, signaled by modest or decrease in job gains, the MMAC said. While fewer Milwaukee- area economic indicators were positive in August compared with July, about half still pointed upward, the MMAC said. "A lackluster overall job trend in the metro area, cutting across a broad group of major industry sectors, set positive indica- tor totals down in August," said Bret Mayborne, the MMAC's economic research director. "On the positive side, manufactur- ing and unemployment indicators continued to show improvement from year-ago levels." Eleven of 22 available indicators tracked by the MMAC pointed upward in August, down from the 15 improvements posted in July. Highlights of the report include: ■ Nonfarm employment in the metro area fell 0.4 percent in August, com- pared with year-ago levels, to 866,600. ■ Among major indus- try sectors, seven of 10 reg- istered year-over-year job decreases in August. Both the construction, mining and natural resources and financial activities sectors posted the steepest job declines, down 4.3 percent, while the largest percentage increase was registered in the edu- cation and health services sector, up 1.8 percent. ■ Manufacturing jobs rose at a 0.9 percent pace compared with a year ago, while earnings and hours indicators for manufactur- ing production workers registered solid year-over- year gain, the MMAC said. For August, job totals averaged 866,600, down 0.4 percent from one year ago. BUSINESS Mitchell International records 5 months of passenger increases MILWAUKEE — During August, General Mitchell International Airport had a 7.3 percent increase in passenger traffic compared to August 2016, making it the fifth straight month with rising numbers. More than 84 percent of available airline seats for all airlines at the airport (MKE) were filled in August, according to Wednesday's announcement. Volaris inter- national flights to Guadalajara, Mexico, and summer seasonal service to Portland, Oregon, on Alaska Airlines also helped boost the August numbers, according to the release. "MKE has added 12 new nonstop desti- nations in the last year," County Executive Chris Abele said in a statement. REV Group launches mobility brand Revability MILWAUKEE — Speciality vehicle brand manufacturer REV Group announced it is combining two wheelchair- accesible van brands — ElDorado Mobility and recently acquired AutoAbility — into a new Mobility brand, Revability. Based in Milwaukee, the REV Group is a $2.4 billion manufacturer of specialty vehi- cle brands and provider of parts and serv- ices. The new Revability brand features a diverse line of side and rear-entry mobility vans for the consumer market and a line of commercial rear-entry wheelchair accessi- ble vans for the taxi, non-medical (cot van) and paratransit segments in the U.S. and Canada. The rear and side-entry vans are available in manual and powered rear- entry access, in long or short cut floor plans. Froedtert Health, United Hospital System complete partnership MILWAUKEE — Froedtert Health has completed a previously announced agree- ment to expand its relationship with United Hospital System, which operates hospital campuses in Kenosha and Pleasant Prairie. Terms were not dis- closed. United Hospital System's legal name is Froedtert South and will provide health care services under the brand name of Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network, according to the announcement. As part of the agreement, Froedtert South will adopt Froedtert & MCW's care quality protocols and best practices. The two organizations also will share an electronic health record system, effective next fall. As Froedtert South, the former United will continue operating as a locally led organization, retain its current health sys- tem departments and administrative serv- ices, medical group leadership and creden- tialing. "This expansion is a natural progres- sion of the longtime relationship between our two health care organizations," said Cathy Jacobson, president and CEO of Froedtert Health. A phased approach to rebranding is underway, with exterior hospital and clinic signs changing to the Froedtert & MCW brand, including at the Kenosha Medical Center and St. Catherine's Medical Center campuses. Actuant sales remain flat in 4Q MILWAUKEE — Consolidated sales and core sales were flat for Actuant Corp.'s fourth quarter, according to a financial report. The company said the sales were flat for the quarter compared to the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year because foreign currency rate changes increased 1 percent and net acquisition and divestitures were a 1 percent headwind. In addition, solid core sales growth in both the industrial and engineered solu- tions segments was offset by difficult mar- ket conditions in the energy segment, according to the announcement. "The fourth quarter came in largely as expected, with continued positive momen- tum within industrial tools, broad-based OEM production increases within Engineered Solutions, offset by persistent challenges within the served energy mar- kets," said Randy Baker, president and CEO of Actuant, in a statement. MMAC: Economic indicators suggest growth is slowing Wisconsin hospitals recognized for excellence in surgical care MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has recog- nized seven hospitals, including Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Franklin, for their excellent surgical care during 2016 at the annual Surgical Site Infection Prevention Summit in Madison, hosted by DHS and the Medical College of Wisconsin. The facilities were select- ed because the occurrence of surgical site infections among their patients was significantly lower than the national baseline in 2016. The other five Wisconsin hospitals receiving recogni- tion Sept. 29 were Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Saint Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Sauk Prairie Healthcare in Prairie du Sac and ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Appleton. "We extend our congrat- ulations and express our appreciation for their long- standing partnerships with public health in promoting high quality health care," said state Health Officer Karen McKeown. This is the third surgical site infection prevention summit that DHS and the Medical College of Wisconsin have co-hosted, and is part of a statewide surgical site infection reduction initiative the DHS launched in 2015 and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The top 10 percent of facilities that have imple- mented and measured com- pliance with key compo- nents of the summit's guidelines for infection reduction included metro Milwaukee hospitals Aurora Medical Center in Grafton and Columbia St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee.