U.S. transportation sector hiring rebounds in July

Transportation and logistics companies added 11,700 positions last month, following a revised decrease of 6,700 jobs in June and a 4,500-job gain in May, according to recent preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor.    United States transportation and logistics companies added 11,700 jobs for the month in July 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 follows a revised decrease of 6,700 jobs in June, which was preceded by four consecutive monthly increases. Revised BLS data indicates the industry added 4,500 positions in May, 10,100 in April, 5,700 in March and 400 in February.
   Job gains in the sector during July were widespread, led by the ground passenger transportation segment, which grew employment by 4,400 positions. The warehousing, courier and messenger, and trucking industries also showed growth, up 2,600, 1,800, and 1,700 jobs, respectively, from the previous month.
   Those increases were offset in part by declines in the water and rail transportation sectors, down 400 and 300 jobs, respectively, for the month. Air transportation hiring was relatively flat in July, inching up 100 positions compared with June.
   The U.S. rail industry has steadily cut employment over the past year, with July 2016 figures down 27,400 jobs compared with the same 2015 period, as railroads continued to adjust to falling volumes in coal, crude oil and other energy-related commodities.
   Overall, the U.S. added 255,000 jobs in July, which could be another positive indicator for the U.S. economy after an “advance” preliminary estimate from the Department of Commerce late last month showed gross domestic product – the broadest measure of an individual economy – rose 1.2 percent during second quarter 2016, up from a revised 0.8 percent advance in the first quarter.