Employment at U.S.-based transportation and logistics companies surged in August, and hiring figures for July were much stronger than originally predicted.
Firms added 20,200 jobs in August, following revised increases of 6,600 in July and 15,000 in June, according to the latest preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Should those preliminary figures prove accurate, the U.S. transportation and logistics sector will have added 112,800 jobs so far this year, according to BLS data.
Employment gains in the sector during August were broad-based, with only two of the 10 specific sectors tracked by BLS registering declines. The largest increases were seen in the truck transportation and transit and ground passenger segments, which added 5,700 and 5,000 jobs, respectively, followed by the couriers and messengers segment, up 3,800 jobs; support activities for transportation, up 2,600 positions; warehousing and storage, up 2,400 jobs; air transportation, up 800 positions; and scenic and sightseeing transportation, up 500 jobs.
Employment was flat in water transportation, while the rail and pipeline segments shed 300 jobs each.
Total U.S. non-farm payroll employment increased by 201,000 in August compared with the previous month, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.9 percent, according to BLS.