BLS February Results: Trucking Jobs Decrease Amid Overall Market Growth

U.S. Job Market Sees Modest Growth in February 2025, Trucking Jobs Decline Slightly

The U.S. job market continued to grow in February 2025, with 151,000 new jobs added. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1%, staying within the range of 4.0% to 4.2% since May 2024. These findings come from the latest Employment Situation Summary released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). While some industries experienced growth, trucking jobs declined, reflecting ongoing challenges in the transportation sector.

Several industries saw job growth. Employment increased in health care, financial activities, transportation and warehousing, and social assistance. However, the federal government sector reported job losses.

For the transportation industry, job trends were mixed. Some sectors, such as warehousing and air transportation, added jobs. However, trucking employment declined slightly.

Growth in Transportation and Warehousing

The transportation and warehousing sector added 18,000 jobs in February. This continues a steady trend seen over the past 12 months, with an average of 13,000 new jobs per month.

Key changes within this sector included:

• Couriers and messengers: +24,000 jobs
• Air transportation: +4,000 jobs

The continued rise in courier jobs highlights the strong demand for e-commerce and delivery services. Air transportation also grew, likely due to increased travel and shipping needs.

Despite this overall growth, not all transportation jobs followed the same trend.

Trucking Jobs Decline

New BLS data shows that trucking employment declined between January and February 2025. The number of trucking jobs fell from 1,517,000 in January to 1,515,100 in February. This represents a loss of 1,900 jobs (BLS Trucking Data).

Several factors may have contributed to this decline:

• Driver retention problems: Many trucking companies struggle to keep experienced drivers.
• Freight demand shifts: Economic factors and fuel prices impact hiring needs.
• New regulations: Environmental and safety rules may influence job availability.

While trucking jobs dipped, the overall transportation and warehousing sector continued to expand. This suggests that demand for freight services remains steady, even as trucking employment faces challenges.

The Broader Job Market

Though 151,000 jobs were added in February, this number was slightly below the 12-month average of 168,000 new jobs per month.

Other key details from the report:

• Unemployment rate: 4.1%, with 7.1 million unemployed workers.
• Long-term unemployment: 1.5 million people have been jobless for 27 weeks or more.
• Labor force participation rate: 62.4%, unchanged over the past year.
• Part-time work for economic reasons: Increased by 460,000, bringing the total to 4.9 million.

The employment-population ratio fell slightly to 59.9%. However, this change was minor compared to previous years.

Wages and Work Hours

• Average hourly wages rose by $0.10 (0.3%), reaching $35.93.
• Over the past 12 months, wages have increased by 4.0%.
• Hourly pay for production and nonsupervisory employees increased by $0.09 to $30.89.
• The average workweek stayed the same at 34.1 hours.

Although wages continue to rise, the rate of increase remains moderate. This suggests that inflation pressures are easing compared to previous years.

What’s Next for Trucking Jobs and the Transportation Industry

The transportation industry remains a key driver of employment growth. However, the decline in trucking jobs highlights ongoing hiring and retention challenges.

Several factors will shape job growth in the coming months:

• Economic conditions: Consumer spending and fuel prices will impact freight demand.
• Regulations: New policies on emissions and truck safety may affect hiring.
• Technology: Advancements in electric trucks and automation could shift job opportunities.

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