Warehousing and storage hiring gains in September; transport modes show drop

Hiring in the transportation and warehousing sectors fell 9 percent in September over August data, but the overall number was skewed by a 14.1-percent sequential drop inhiring in the transit and ground-passenger sectors, the Department of Labor (DOL) said today. Hiring for freight-centric positions were flat to slightly down, DOL said.

In releasing its September non-farm payrolls report, DOL said the warehousing and storage sector added about 5,000 jobs over August, a 5.3-percent increase month over month. Hiring in the trucking sector dropped 3.6 percent, while hiring in the rail, water, and air sectors dipped slightly, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a part of DOL.

All told, the U.S. economy added about 156,000 jobs in September over August figures, coming in within the range of most analysts' estimates. The nation's unemployment rate ticked up to 5 percent, which the Obama Administration attributed to more Americans entering the labor force. Labor force participation rose in September to 62.9 percent.