U.S. transportation sector hiring slides in September

Transportation and logistics companies cut 9,000 positions last month, following two consecutive months of hiring gains, according to recent preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor.    United States transportation and logistics companies cut 9,000 jobs for the month in September 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 revised increases of 18,600 jobs in August and 12,200 positions in July. Revised BLS data indicates the industry cut 6,700 jobs in June after four consecutive monthly increases, adding 4,500 positions in May, 10,100 in April, 5,700 in March and 400 in February.
   Job cuts in the sector during September were led by the ground passenger transportation segment, which slashed employment by 14,100 positions. Declines were also seen in the air, rail, water and truck transportation industries, down 800, 1,200, 200, and 3,600 jobs, respectively, from the previous month.
   Those decreases were offset in part by declines in the courier and messenger and warehousing sectors, up 2,700 and 5,300 jobs, respectively, for the month. Pipeline transportation hiring was flat in September.
   The U.S. rail industry has steadily cut employment over the past year, with September 2016 figures down 23,100 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 156,000 jobs in September, which could be another positive indicator for the U.S. economy after a third “advance” preliminary estimate from the Department of Commerce late last month showed gross domestic product – the broadest measure of an individual economy – rose 1.4 percent during second quarter 2016, up from a revised 0.8 percent advance in the first quarter.