The for-hire trucking industry dropped 500 jobs in April, according to the Department of Labor’s monthly Employment Situation Report. It’s the first month-to-mont drop since April 2018 and only the second in the last 20 months. The DOL had reported a preliminary 1,200-job decline for March, but the agency revised that figure to show a 300-job increase.
However, employment growth in for-hire trucking has stalled. From May 2018 through January 2019, the industry averaged growth of nearly 4,000 jobs a month. In the prior three months, the industry has added just 300 jobs total, with April’s 500-job decline negating February’s 500-job increase.
However, employment in the industry is still at record levels. Employment in the for-hire trucking segment totaled 1.5163 million in April — a gain of 34,900 jobs from the same month last year. The U.S. economy as a whole in April added 263,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.6 percent.
The transportation and warehousing sector as a whole added 11,100 jobs in April. Of major freight producing sectors, the construction industry added 33,000 jobs, and the manufacturing sector added 4,000 jobs.
