A new report is predicting that the job market in West Michigan will remain tough at least through the end of the year. The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research's latest Business Outlook for West Michigan predicts that employment in six metropolitan areas will fall by about 2.5% this year.

The institute's quarterly report finds that employment will drop in most sectors. The one exception is that government employment will remain stable. But that's only because the workers at the soon to be opened Firekeepers Casino near Battle Creek will be classified as government workers.