Class 1 Employment Fell 1.07% in August

Data released this week by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board showed that U.S. Class I railroads employed 114,431 in mid August, a decline of  1.07 percent compared with July and a fall of 2.83 percent compared with the same period in 2020.

All six employment categories registered declines in August. They were: professional and administrative, down 2.32 percent to 9,853; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 1.79 percent to 17,205; transportation (other than train and engine), down 1.52 percent to 4,659; transportation (train and engine), down 0.82 percent; executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.68 percent to 7,271; and maintenance of way and structures, down 0.63 percent to 28,334.

Compared with 2020 figures, all categories except transportation (train and engine) logged decreases. They were: maintenance of equipment and stores, down 10.23 percent; transportation (other than train and engine), down 8.09 percent; professional and administrative, down 4.83 percent; maintenance of way and structures, down 3.73 percent; and executives, officials and staff assistants, down 2.94 percent.

The number of transportation (train and engine) employees rose 1.85 percent last month compared with August 2020.

Tags: Class 1 railroad employment, STB employment figures, U.S. Class 1 Railroads