U.S. transportation sector unemployment rate decreases to 3.6% in December 2021

Remains above pre-pandemic 2.8% of December 2019

The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 3.6% (not seasonally adjusted) in December 2021 according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data recently updated on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Unemployment in Transportation dashboard. The December 2021 rate fell 5.7 percentage points from 9.3% in December 2020 but remains above the pre-pandemic rate of 2.8% in December 2019. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May and July 2020.

The unemployment rate in the transportation sector is now below the overall unemployment rate for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. BLS reports that the U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, in December 2021 was 3.7% or 0.1 percentage points above the transportation sector rate. Seasonally adjusted, the U.S. unemployment rate in December 2021 was 3.9%.