U.S. Transportation Sector Unemployment Rate of 3.8% in April 2023 Was Above the April 2022 Level of 3.6% And Was Just Above the Pre-Pandemic April Level of 3.7% in 2019
The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 3.8% (not seasonally adjusted) in April 2023 according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data recently updated on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Unemployment in Transportation dashboard. The April 2023 rate was above the April 2022 rate of 3.6% and was just above the pre-pandemic April level of 3.7% in 2019. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020.
Unemployment in the transportation sector was above overall unemployment. BLS reports that the U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, in April 2023 was 3.1% or 0.7 percentage points below the transportation sector rate. Seasonally adjusted, the U.S. unemployment rate in April 2023 was 3.4%.
In addition to the update of the Unemployment in Transportation dashboard, BTS also released its monthly update to its Employment in Transportation: Total, by Mode, and Women, and Race and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity of Transportation Workers dashboards.
Charts Updated this Month by Section include:
Unemployment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector and in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector, Establishment Data
- Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector
- Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector by Mode
- Women Workers in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector
Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector by Race and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity, Household Data
Visit Transportation Economic Trends for more topics.
The unemployment rate is the total number of unemployed persons, expressed as a percentage of the civilian labor force. The civilian labor force includes all persons aged 16 and older who are employed and unemployed; in other words, either working or actively looking for work. Unemployed persons count only those who have actively sought a job within the last four weeks. People waiting to start a new job who have not actively sought a job in the last four weeks are not counted as employed or unemployed; they are considered to be out of the labor force.
For the unemployed, industry is based on the last job they held; this may or may not reflect their current area of job search.
Media contact: BTSNews@dot.gov or 1-800-853-1351.