Trucking Industry Sheds Jobs in May

Transportation employment took a heavy blow in May, losing 5,400 jobs, according to federal statistics. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported June 7 that there were 1.55 million seasonally adjusted trucking jobs in May, marking the lowest monthly total since November 2023, when the number was exactly the same. 

It was the second straight month-over-month decline in industry jobs. 

Looking at the transportation and warehousing sector as a whole, a sizable jump of 10,600 jobs was observed during May, taking the number of seasonally adjusted jobs to 6.58 million. That increase stemmed mostly from “support activities for transportation,” which gained 4,900 jobs, and couriers and messengers, which saw 3,400 new jobs. 

The countrywide unemployment rate stayed steady around 4 percent in May, according to the release, with total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 272,000.