10,200 More Trucking Jobs This February
This February was a promising month for employment growth across the country. Transport Topics reported employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it was good news. The U.S. economy grew by 227,00 new jobs last month and 10,200 of those jobs were within the trucking industry.
Although trucking job numbers have risen and fallen from month to month, there was a strong increase in February, employing 1.33 million people according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That number is a whopping 6.4% higher than it was last February.
This change has a lot to do with the growth of the durable goods business which added 31,00 jobs this February. Some examples of these kinds of goods include cars, home appliances, electronics, furniture, sports equipment, etc. All of these goods will require trucks to haul them to their destination after being manufactured.
The construction industry contributed 21,000 jobs to numbers for January, in response to the mild winter. There was a loss of 13,000 construction jobs in February, but Kenneth Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America reported that 65,000 more people being employed in this industry than in February last year. Simonson also said, “I think it’s quite positive new to have continued growth in employment of more than 200,00 new jobs per month for several months. That puts the economy on a pretty good growth path.”
New net jobs grew from 223,00 in December, to 284,00 in January, and 227,00 in February. This upward trend will encourage those still out of the workforce to get back to the job hunt, and that number will hopefully continue to grow.
Although this growth is encouraging, there is a factor that could have a devastating affect on the economy as a whole; gas prices. The national average is just under $4 a gallon and it is expected to climb to $5 within the next few months. That means thousands of dollars more a year for fuel per truck, and those extra expenses will have to be accounted for somewhere. That means that we, the consumers, will take the hit. Once goods reach the shelves inflation will set in and customers will be forced to reevaluate their budgets to compensate for the extra money spent in gas and other goods.
Unfortunately this does not mean good things for the economy. Everyone’s bottom line will be in jeopardy which means cutting back across the board. Back in 2008 when there was a drastic spike in gas prices the affected everyone. There were jobs lost, homes foreclosed on, and tough times that make consumers even more weary of spending in the face of the inflation. The trucking industry is a huge part of our economy, and requires equally huge amounts of fuel to operate. Only time will tell how our economy and its consumers will react to the ebb and flow, and what affect it will have on the trucking industry as a whole.