Transportation sector gains 13K jobs in May

The transportation sector gained 13,100 jobs in May as the national unemployment rate ticked up slightly up, according to statistics released by the Department of Labor on Friday.

The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said there were 4,760,600 jobs in transportation in May, compared to 4,747,500 in April. 

The jump was part of a 280,000 increase in overall jobs in May that brought the nation’s unemployment rate up slightly to 5.5 percent, the BLS said.

{mosads}The transportation sector with the highest employment increase was trucking, which had 1,449,900 jobs in May, compared to 1,441,300 in April.

The biggest drop in employment in the sector was “support activities for transportation,” which lost 1,100 jobs last month. The category had 645,100 jobs in May, down from 646,200 in April.

The airline industry gained 600 jobs in May, going from 445,300 in April to 445,900 last month.

Long-distance rail companies gained 100 jobs, going from 246,300 in April to 246,400 last month. 

The public transportation industry, meanwhile, gained 2,000 jobs, going from 470,600 in April to 472,600 last month.

The full May jobs report can be read here.