Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves
Truck transportation jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis fell in May from April, another sign that despite higher pay and a bevy of incentives like signing bonuses, getting drivers into the seats remains a challenge.
The decline in seasonally adjusted jobs reported Friday morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was not matched in the category of not-seasonally adjusted jobs. Most economists look at seasonally adjusted figures but will also caution that the not-seasonally adjusted figures should not be ignored.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the category of truck transportation had 1,479,700 jobs in May. That is down 1,900 from the revised April figure of 1,481,600 jobs. It also is down from the now final March figure of 1,481,000 jobs.
But the not-seasonally adjusted numbers suggest some level of success in hiring. That came in at 1,478,600 jobs in May, a significant increase from the revised April number of 1,467,800 jobs, a gain of 10,800 jobs.
In other highlights from the report, warehousing and storage jobs, which had softened recently after months of strong gains, rose a healthy 1,800 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis to 1,408,800 jobs. However, the not-seasonally adjusted figure in that category fell to 1,393,200 from 1,396,600 jobs.
Couriers and messengers rose on a seasonally adjusted basis to 1,033,000 jobs, up from 1,030,200 jobs. On a not-seasonally adjusted basis, jobs there rose by even more, up to 968,500 jobs from 959,200 jobs.
Rail jobs increased 900 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis, up to 144,100 jobs.
FreightWaves will continue to report on this story over the course of the day.
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