US transportation sector unemployment rate decreases to 5.1% in March 2022; remains higher than overall US unemployment

The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 5.1% (not seasonally adjusted) in March 2022 according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data recently updated on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics Unemployment in Transportation dashboard. The March 2022 unemployment rate fell 3.8 percentage points year-over-year from 8.9% in March 2021 and was 0.3 percentage points below the 5.4% of both February 2022 and March 2020 —the month during which the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. 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 above the overall unemployment rate for the third consecutive month. BLS reports that the U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, in March 2022 was 3.8% or 1.3 percentage points below the transportation sector rate. Seasonally adjusted, the U.S. unemployment rate in March 2022 was 3.6%.