U.S. Class I railway employment falls for 13th straight month

Major freight railroads in the United States employed 156,602 workers as of the middle of May, down 0.27 percent from the previous month and 11.69 percent year-over-year, according to data from the Surface Transportation Board.    Class I freight railroads in the United States employed 154,212 workers as of the middle of May 2016, an 11.69 percent decline from 172,943 employees during the same 2015 period, according to data from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB).
   Class I railway employment was also down 0.27 percent from 153,143 workers in mid-April 2016, and has now fallen in each of the previous 13 consecutive monthly periods.
   Only two of the various employment categories reported to the STB posted increases from the previous month – maintenance of way and structures employees and maintenance of equipment and stores workers – and all six of them declined on a year-over-year basis.
   Executives, officials and staff assistants were down 0.62 percent from mid-April and 6.03 percent compared to May 2015; professional and administrative staff fell 0.91 percent and 3.61 percent, respectively; maintenance of way and structures employees grew 0.5 percent from the previous month but were still down 5.69 percent year-over-year; maintenance of equipment and stores workers were also up 0.12 percent from April, but down 7.54 percent from last year; transportation staff (not including train and engine) fell 0.72 percent and 7.34 percent, respectively; while train and engine workers were down 0.69 percent month-over-month and 19.47 percent year-over-year.