Oct. 17--The addition of 500 workers at Oshkosh Corp. and Mercury Marine's decision to consolidate manufacturing operations in the Fox Valley may be behind reports the regional economy is rebounding.

"Those companies have been some positive signs for the area," said Cheryl Welch, chief executive officer of the Workforce Development Board of the Fox Valley Inc. in Menasha.

Despite those gains, Welch's office, which provides job retaining and placement services to dislocated workers, continues to experience a steady flow of people who have been laid off by area companies in recent weeks.

Welch believes the region could see trickle-down benefits from Oshkosh Corp.'s recent hiring boom to fill a military order of more than 2,000 vehicles and boat maker Mercury Marine's recent move to relocate nearly 400 jobs from Stillwater, Okla., to Fond du Lac during the next 18 to 24 months.

"Mercury Marine deciding to remain here certainly was big for us and Oshkosh Corp. landing a federal contract for ($3 billion) has opened supply chains where they contract with other companies in the area, which either has, or soon will, start opening jobs," Welch said. "I think some of this still is in the initial stages but the potential may be there in the near future."

MSNBC and Moody's Economy. com's Adversity Index for August released Thursday show economic indicators for Appleton and Oshkosh-Neenah have emerged from recession and are now in recovery. The index measures the economic health of more than 300 metropolitan areas, tracking increases and decreases in employment, single-family home starts, average home sale prices and industrial production.

The Moody's data says Wisconsin's economic benefits include its emergence as a transportation hub and national bioresearch center, though it still is hindered by a fading manufacturing base and weak migration trends.

Appleton's economic strengths include a better-than-average quality of life, space to expand, low business costs and access to transportation hubs, Moody's reports. Oshkosh-Neenah's benefits include higher learning access through the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, above average population growth compared to the rest of the Midwest, and low cost of living.

The Fox Cities' declining manufacturing base is seen by Moody's as the region's primary weakness.

While one organization paints an improving regional economic picture, data from the state and one industry group does not show another reality.