William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Sep 07, 2012 11:22AM EDT
Transportation and warehousing employment increased 1.9 percent year-over-year in August, the same rate as in July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Transportation hiring slowed on a sequential monthly basis, however, increasing 0.13 percent in August compared with a 0.2 percent gain the previous month.
The BLS seasonally adjusted transportation employment figure for August shows a year-over-year gain of 83,500 jobs, but a gain of only 5,700 jobs from July.
Trucking, courier services and warehousing added 4,300 transportation jobs, while air, rail and water transportation lost 3,400 jobs in August, according to the BLS data.
Surveys by the Labor Department agency claimed 4,385,400 jobs for transportation and warehousing last month, a 5.8 percent improvement since February 2010.
That number is still 3.8 percent below the employment level in April 2008, the most recent peak month for transportation employment, according to BLS data.
The transportation sector added 6,900 jobs in July and lost about 2,200 jobs in June, after adding 36,000 jobs in May. The sector now has 46,500 more jobs than in January.
Total non-farm employment increased by 96,000 jobs in August, the BLS said Friday, pushing the U.S. unemployment rate down to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent.
The increase was less than expected by many economists. Employment growth has averaged 139,000 jobs per month this year, compared with 153,000 in 2011.
While employment in health care and professional services, including food services and drinking places, was up, manufacturing employment declined in August.
The manufacturing sector lost 15,000 jobs, with an 8,000 job decline in the automotive sector partially offsetting a gain in July, according to the BLS.
Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @wbcassidy_joc
