Transport and distribution companies staffed up on expectations for an unprecedented holiday-season rush. Delivery, warehousing and trucking operators added a combined 131,400 jobs last month, according to seasonally adjusted preliminary employment figures released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as businesses restocked inventories and ramped up e-commerce capabilities to meet surging online demand. Those fields gained nearly three times as many jobs last month as in October and accounted for more than half of the increase in payrolls reported across all employment sectors. U.S. economy gained 245,000 jobs last month as hiring slowed sharply from October’s increase of 610,000 jobs amid a surge of coronavirus cases, leading to fresh restrictions on businesses in many parts of the country. The unemployment rate fell to 6.7% from 6.9%.
The e-commerce boom is also boosting employment at warehousing and storage operators, which include fulfillment centers that handle online orders. The sector added 36,800 jobs in November, its fourth straight monthly increase. Trucking companies also saw strong payroll gains in November, adding 12,700 jobs. Fleet payrolls are up by 43,800 positions since April, when the industry shed 92,000 jobs as lockdowns aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus shut down much of the U.S. economy. Trucking payrolls remain about 55,400 jobs below their level a year ago, according to BLS figures.