Strong shipping sector growth bolsters December jobs report

Transportation and logistics companies contributed an estimated 23,000 of the total 292,000 jobs added in the United States during month of December, according to the Department of Labor.    Shipping and logistics companies in the United States added an estimated 23,000 jobs during month of December, according to the Department of Labor.
   The increase was driven primarily by increased e-commerce sales during the holidays and the resulting changes in supply chain and distribution networks, including 15,000 new jobs for parcel couriers and messengers.
   As consumer patterns continue to shift away from retail purchases made in person to an online model, so to distribution patterns have shifted from warehouse and in-store consolidation to end-to-end home delivery.
   Parcel companies like FedEx and UPS saw much higher volumes this holiday season as consumers did even more of their shopping online than ever before.
   U.S. employers overall added 292,000 jobs in December, according to the latest data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, making 2015 the second-best year in terms of job creation since 1999 despite slowing global economic growth.
   “The longest streak of private-sector job growth on record continues, now at 70 straight months with 14.1 million new jobs over that time,” U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez said of the December jobs report.
   “We’ve made tremendous progress,” he added. “Seven years ago, the U.S. economy was in free fall, hemorrhaging 2.3 million private sector jobs in just the three months before President Obama took office. Millions of families lost their homes and retirement savings. Major financial institutions and the auto industry were on the brink of collapse.
   “But today the worst economic crisis in generations is behind us. Despite unprecedented obstruction from Republicans in Congress, the nation is enjoying an historic recovery, due in large measure to the president’s steady hand and the resilience of our workers and businesses.”