Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

Unemployment rate stayed flat in December for transportation sector

BLS statistics show transportation unemployment was 4.3%, coming in slightly above the national average of 3.8%.

chart of employment levels in transportation sectors
DC Velocity Staff
By DC Velocity StaffJan 10, 2025
DC Velocity Staff
See Full Bio

The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was flat in December 2024 compared to the same month last year, coming in at 4.3% (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

That number is low compared to widespread unemployment in the transportation sector which reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic at 15.7% in both May 2020 and July 2020. But it is slightly above the most recent pre-pandemic rate for the sector, which was 2.8% in December 2019, the BTS said.

For broader context, the nation’s overall unemployment rate for all sectors rose slightly in December, increasing 0.3 percentage points from December 2023 to 3.8%.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, employment in the transportation and warehousing sector rose to 6,630,200 people in December 2024 — up 0.1% from the previous month and up 1.7% from December 2023. Employment in transportation and warehousing grew 15.1% in December 2024 from the pre-pandemic December 2019 level of 5,760,300 people.

The largest portion of those workers was in warehousing and storage, followed by truck transportation, according to a breakout of the total figures into separate modes (seasonally adjusted):

  • Warehousing and storage rose to 1,770,300 in December 2024 — up 0.1% from the previous month and up 0.2% from December 2023.
  • Truck transportation fell to 1,545,900 in December 2024 — down 0.1% from the previous month and down 0.4% from December 2023.
  • Air transportation rose to 578,000 in December 2024 — up 0.4% from the previous month and up 1.4% from December 2023.
  • Transit and ground passenger transportation rose to 456,000 in December 2024 — up 0.3% from the previous month and up 5.7% from December 2023.
  • Rail transportation remained virtually unchanged in December 2024 at 150,300 from the previous month but down 1.8% from December 2023.
  • Water transportation rose to 74,300 in December 2024 — up 0.1% from the previous month and up 4.8% from December 2023.
  • Pipeline transportation rose to 55,000 in December 2024 — up 0.5% from the previous month and up 6.2% from December 2023.
ArticleEditorialOther ServicesSC Services
u.s. department of transportationbureau of transportation statisticslabor
ArticleEditorialOther ServicesSC Services
u.s. department of transportationbureau of transportation statisticslabor

The Latest

frigo-trans truck hauling healthcare cargo
Parcel & Postal Carriers

UPS acquires two German healthcare logistics specialists

warehouse worker managing inventory
Reverse Logistics

DHL Supply Chain acquires returns specialist Inmar Supply Chain Solutions

Report: Five trends in AI and data science for 2025
Featured

Report: Five trends in AI and data science for 2025

More Stories

aerial photo of port of miami

East and Gulf coast strike averted with 11th-hour agreement

Shippers today are praising an 11th-hour contract agreement that has averted the threat of a strike by dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports that could have frozen container imports and exports as soon as January 16.

The agreement came late last night between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) representing some 45,000 workers and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) that includes the operators of port facilities up and down the coast.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of HR practices

Workplace report finds 5 trends sweeping the global labor pool

Waves of change are expected to wash over workplaces in the new year, highlighted by companies’ needs to balance the influx of artificial intelligence (AI) with the skills, capabilities, and perspectives that are uniquely human, according to a study from Top Employers Institute.

According to the Amsterdam-based human resources (HR) consulting firm, 2025 will be the year that the balance between individual and group well-being will evolve, blending personal empowerment with collective goals. The focus will be on creating environments where individual contributions enhance the overall strength of teams and organizations, and where traditional boundaries are softened to allow for greater collaboration and inclusion.

Keep ReadingShow less
containers and ships at port

AAFA urges ILA and USMX to resolve dockworker contract feud

As another potential strike looms at East and Gulf coast ports, nervous retailers are calling on dockworkers union the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) to reach an agreement with port management group the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) before their current labor contract expires on January 15.

The latest call for a quick solution came from the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), which cheered President-elect Donald Trump for his published comments yesterday indicating that he supports the 45,000 dockworkers’ opposition to increased automation for handling shipping containers.

Keep ReadingShow less
colleagues using laptop in a warehouse

Study: Supply chain firms are not hiring enough tech experts

An analysis of supply chain job openings shows gaps in digital skills among supply chain roles, likely impeding companies’ digital transformation goals, according to a report from software vendor Cleo.

While many companies in the sector claim to have tech-centered business goals, they’re not recruiting employees who possess the skill sets needed to achieve them, the firm said.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of imports to US ports

U.S. retailers spooked by twin threats of port strike, Trump tariffs

Retailers are under pressure from threats on two fronts heading into January as they frontload cargo imports in a bid to avoid the potential pain of a resumed East and Gulf coast dockworker strike and of broad tariffs being proposed by the incoming Trump administration, according to a report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.

The report forecasts that the nation’s major container ports are expected to see a continued surge in imports through next spring, as importers rush to beat the impact of a container port strike as soon as January 15 and of tariff hikes as soon as January 20, researchers said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Copyright ©2025.