Transportation and warehousing companies added 17,100 jobs in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, with nearly half the growth coming in a trucking industry that has warned of capacity and drivers shortages.
Trucking employment grew by 7,400 jobs in June over May, on a seasonally adjusted basis, and the industry has added 19,000 jobs in the past three months, according to BLS. The trucking industry has added 43,300 jobs since June 2014.
The expansion came in a broader report that showed the U.S. economy added 223,000 jobs in June, sending the unemployment rate down to 5.3%. Retailers were among the strongest contributors, adding nearly 33,000 jobs from May to June, but manufacturing grew by just 4,000 jobs, tepid growth for an industry that produces goods that feed into logistics distribution channels.
The warehouse and storage industry also expanded sharply in June, adding 2,800 jobs over the May report. The BLS report showed warehousing employment has grown by nearly 28,000 jobs in the past year, in line with industry reports showing strong expansion of distribution centers in important logistics areas such as Southern California’s Inland Empire. Nike Inc. last month opened the largest distribution center in its North American network, a 2.8-million-square-foot facility outside Memphis, Tenn., that employs 450 workers.
The only logistics-related sector showing weak employment was water transportation, where jobs were flat in June and have contracted by 2,400 jobs in the past year.
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