Transportation sector loses 2,100 jobs in October

The transportation sector lost 2,100 jobs in October as the national unemployment dipped slightly to 5 percent, according to statistics released by the Department of Labor on Friday.

The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said there were  4,796,200 jobs in transportation in October, compared to 4,798,300 in September. 

The decrease was offset by a stronger than expected 271,000 increase in overall jobs in October that allowed the nation’s unemployment rate to fall to 5 percent in October, the BLS said.

{mosads}The transportation sector with the highest employment increase was warehousing and storage, which had 786,700 jobs in October, compared to 781,600 in September.

The biggest drop in employment in the sector was in support activities for transportation, which lost 7,500 jobs last month. The support industry had 645,900 jobs in October, down from 653,400 in September. 

The airline industry gained 2,000 jobs in October, going from 452,700 in September to 454,700 last month.

Railroads lost 200 jobs last month, going from 239,500 in September to 239,300 in October.

The public transit industry, meanwhile, lost 1,100 jobs, going from 473,200 in September to 472,100 last month.

The trucking sector gained 400 jobs, going from 1,454,200 in September to 1,454,600 in October. 

The full October jobs report can be read here.