Total trucking industry employment fell by 600 jobs in February, according to the Department of Labor’s monthly Employment Situation Report. That’s the first drop in industry employment since October, ending a quarter-long streak of consecutive increases.
For-hire trucking industry employment totaled 1.4657 million jobs in the month, per the DOL report. January’s employment number, however, was upwardly revised from the preliminary numbers reported a month ago.
The U.S. economy as a whole added nearly 250,000 jobs, and the country’s unemployment rate held at 4.9 percent.
According to the report, U.S. manufacturers in the month dropped 16,000 jobs, while the construction industry added 19,000 jobs.