Memphis and most metropolitan areas suffering through jobless recovery, report shows

Only 20 of the top 100 metropolitan areas saw job growth in the fourth quarter, and Memphis was not among them.

From the second quarter of 2007 through the end of 2009, employment – the total number of people with jobs -- has declined by an average of 4.5 percent in Memphis. Nationally, employment dropped by an average of 4.6 percent in the 100 top metro areas.

Fewer Memphians are working since this recession began more than two years ago. By comparison, two years after the 1981 recession, Memphis has regained all the jobs that had been lost, and added some, the Brookings report shows.

The quarterly MetroMonitor report, released today by The Brookings Institute shows that while the economy grew in each of the largest 100 metropolitan areas during the fourth quarter of 2009, job gains have lagged significantly, and employment is recovering far slower in the current Great Recession than in the three most recent U.S. recessions.