Transport Topics (January 11, 2011)
The U.S. labor market lost jobs in December for the first time in eight months, even though transportation-related businesses showed solid growth, the Labor Department said Jan. 8. While for-hire trucking gained 7,300 jobs, nonfarm payrolls overall decreased by 140,000 from the prior month. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7%. Transportation and warehousing jobs rose by 47,000 from the previous month, led primarily by a gain of 37,000 jobs in courier and messenger roles.