Truck transportation jobs drop for first time in nearly 2 years

For the first time since the depths of the pandemic, the number of truck transportation jobs declined month-on-month.

Total truck transportation jobs fell to 1,550,800 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which released its monthly employment report Friday. 

That is a decline of 4,900 jobs from the revised figure for February. However, it is an increase of 1,700 jobs from the initial report of February jobs. That report said there were 1,549,100 jobs in truck transportation in February; with the latest revision, the BLS is reporting truck transportation jobs in February at 1,555,700, an upward revision of 6,600 jobs. 

With January’s second revision making that month’s estimate final at 1,494,900 jobs, it means that the truck transportation sector has added 5,100 jobs in the last two months.

The monthly BLS figures on truck transportation do not include changes in the size of the independent contractor workforce.

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, jobs in March fell 7,300 jobs from February. The February not seasonally adjusted jobs in turn were revised significantly upward, from an original number of 1,533,100 to 1,545,100 jobs. The March figure is 1,537,800, which is 7,100 jobs more than January.

The March and February figures in the report are preliminary. After two months, they are considered final, until the BLS will revise them as part of an annual reordering based on more data. 

Seasonally adjusted warehouse jobs were up 4,300 to 1,764,700. There was a huge revision in the February numbers. Warehouse storage jobs that month were 1,760,400 jobs, according to the latest report, up from an initial estimate of 1,738,200 jobs. With January’s upward revision, it means that warehouse jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis are up 30,900 from January.

FreightWaves will have additional coverage of the employment report later Friday. 

More articles by John Kingston

Source: freightwaves - Truck transportation jobs drop for first time in nearly 2 years
Editor: John Kingston