Walker, Barrett talk jobs in Milwaukee Monday

MILWAUKEE -- Both Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett were in the Milwaukee area Monday touting job growth. Walker appeared at Connecture in Waukesha and Barrett was at Master Lock in Milwaukee.

At Connecture in Waukesha Monday, Walker announced the healthcare information technology company's plan to move its headquarters from Atlanta to Waukesha. The company also plans to add 105 high-paying jobs, getting state credits and incentives of up to 1.2 million over three years. "When we say Wisconsin is open for business, it's not just a slogan. It's not just a sign. It's something that we aim to show each and every day, and we have great businesses like Connecture growing here," Walker said.

Connecture's CFO says the venture gives credit to Walker's vision of jobs creation. "He has reversed a trend of job losses that started in the state of Wisconsin three years prior to his election. Wisconsin is indeed open for business," James Purko said.

Connecture plans to hold a job recruiting open house Thursday at the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Protesters weren't impressed with the 100 jobs, chanting during Walker's appearance that 100 jobs is not enough.

Mayor Barrett was at Master Lock Monday - the Milwaukee company touted by President Obama during his State of the Union address for bringing jobs back to the U.S. from China. Barrett's message, illustrated by a chart, was that in the one year period to Obama taking office, the country lost 4.6 million jobs, and since the recovery has taken place, the country has gained 3.7 million jobs. "We had 23 consecutive months of job growth nationally, yet here in the state of Wisconsin, for the last six months, we've lost jobs every month, so there's obviously a disconnect to what's happening nationally and what's happening at the state level," Barrett said.