U.S. transportation employment ticks up in April

Transportation and logistics companies added 8,600 jobs for the month, following revised increases of 4,900 in March and 400 in February, according to recent preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor.    United States transportation and logistics companies added 8,600 jobs for the month in April 2016, according to the latest preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
   The increase in U.S. transportation sector hiring is the third in as many months. Revised BLS data indicates the industry added 4,900 in March and 400 in February.
   Job growth during April was led by the warehousing sector, which added 6,500 positions after a revised 1,700-job increase in March.
   The courier and messenger industry also showed growth, up 2,500 jobs, as did air transportation up 2,400 jobs.
   Trucking companies also added 700 jobs last month after losing 2,500 jobs in March.
   Transportation sector job gains in April were tempered by cuts in the rail industry, which lost another 3,700 jobs after a 1,500-position loss in March, as railroads continue to adjust to falling volumes in coal, crude oil and other energy-related commodities.
   Overall, the U.S. added 160,000 jobs during April, the lowest total in seven months. This could be another indicator of a slowing U.S. economy after a preliminary estimate from the Department of Commerce last week showed gross domestic product – the broadest measure of an individual economy – rose just 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2016, the slowest pace in two years.