Transportation sector adds 17,000 jobs in September

Employment in the transportation sector increased by 17,000 jobs in September as the U.S. unemployment rate ticked below 8 percent for the first time since 2009.

Statistics released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed an increase of 114,000 jobs in September, bringing the national unemployment rate down to 7.8 percent from an 8.1 percent mark last month.

The BLS report showed employment in the transportation sector increased from 4,391,000 in August to 4,408,100 last month.

The report followed a widely criticized performance by President Obama in a debate with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney that saw both candidates largely avoid discussions about transportation issues.

The September transportation-sector employment numbers were up 105,000 from 4,303,700 in September of 2011.

For the second month in a row, the sector with the highest number of gains in transportation according to the BLS was transit and ground passenger transportation. Transit companies had 450,500 jobs in September, compared to 441,300 in August.

The largest number of overall jobs in transportation was in trucking, where 1,351,800 people were working. The number was essentially unchanged from compared to 1,351,100 in August.

The bureau found employment in the aviation industry ticked down slightly, from 456,700 in August to 454,200 last month. Rail companies employed 231,400 people in September, compared to 230,000 in August.

The full BLS report can be read here.

---