Air Freight News

December 2023 U.S. Transportation Sector Unemployment (4.3%) Falls Below the December 2022 Level (4.5%)

Jan 05, 2024

The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 4.3% (not seasonally adjusted) in December 2023 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These data have been updated on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Unemployment in Transportation dashboard. In December 2023, the transportation sector unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points from 4.5% in December 2022 but was above the pre-pandemic December 2019 level of 2.8%. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020.

Unemployment in the transportation sector was higher than overall unemployment. BLS reports that the U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, in December 2023 was 3.5% or 0.8 percentage points below the transportation sector rate. Seasonally adjusted, the U.S. unemployment rate in December 2023 was 3.7%.

Seasonally adjusted, employment in the transportation and warehousing sector fell to 6,642,200 in December 2023 — down 0.3% from the previous month and down 0.9% from December 2022. Employment in transportation and warehousing grew 15.6% in December 2023 from the pre-pandemic December 2019 level of 5,747,100. By mode (seasonally adjusted):

Air transportation rose to 561,900 in December 2023 — up 0.7% from the previous month and up 7.3% from December 2022.
Truck transportation rose to 1,586,300 in December 2023 — up 0.2% from the previous month but down 1.3% from December 2022.
Transit and ground passenger transportation rose to 440,400 in December 2023 — up 0.8% from the previous month and up 2.7% from December 2022.
Rail transportation rose to 150,500 in December 2023 — up 0.3% from the previous month and up 1.1% from December 2022.
Water transportation fell to 68,300 in December 2023 — down 0.7% from the previous month but up 4.0% from December 2022.
Pipeline transportation fell to 47,600 in December 2023 — down 0.6% from the previous month and down 0.6% from December 2022.
Warehousing and storage fell to 1,851,200 in December 2023 — down 0.3% from the previous month and down 4.3% from December 2022.

In addition to updating the Unemployment in Transportation and the Employment in Transportation: Total, by Mode, and Women dashboards, BTS also updated the Race and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity of Transportation Workers dashboard.

Charts updated this month by section include:

Unemployment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector and in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Total Unemployment in Transportation
Unemployed Men and Women Workers in Transportation
Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector, Establishment Data

Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector
Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector by Mode
Women Workers in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector
Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector by Race and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity, Household Data

Race and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity of Employees in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector by Month (not seasonally adjusted)
Visit Transportation Economic Trends for more topics.

The unemployment rate is the total number of unemployed persons, expressed as a percentage of the civilian labor force. The civilian labor force includes all persons aged 16 and older who are employed and unemployed; meaning they are either currently working or actively looking for work. Unemployed persons include those who actively sought a job within the last four weeks. People waiting to start a new job who have not actively sought a job in the last four weeks are not counted as employed or unemployed; they are considered to be out of the labor force.

An unemployed person’s industry is the industry for the last job they held in the workforce, which may or may not reflect their current job search field or industry.

Similar Stories

https://www.ajot.com/images/uploads/article/November-2024-Freight-Shipment-Index-Infographic-%281%29.png
November 2024 Freight Transportation Services Index
View Article
Viet Nam hosts 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development In October 2025

UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan announced today that the sixteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 16) will take place in Viet…

View Article
https://www.ajot.com/images/uploads/article/Stainless-steels-and-special-alloy.png
Alleima relaunches high-strength and corrosion-resistant steel for sustainable energy sectors
View Article
United States and Norway issue innovative report creating greater transparency in critical mineral supply chains

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries issued a thorough, innovative report presenting our shared understanding of non-market policies and practices (NMPPs)…

View Article
December CNBC/NRF retail monitor results show strong growth boosted by final Thanksgiving weekend days

Retail sales jumped strongly in December, boosted in part by two busy holiday shopping days during Thanksgiving weekend falling in the final month of the year, according to the CNBC/NRF…

View Article
NAW presents Dirk Van Dongen Lifetime Achievement Award to Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, Inc.

At the 2025 NAW Executive Summit Gala on January 28 in Washington, D.C.

View Article