Transportation sector adds 13,000 jobs in October

road-work-ahead-Better-RoadsThe transportation sector added 13,000 jobs in October as the national unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since July 2008, according to statistics released by the Department of Labor.

According to the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics , there were 4,664,100 transportation jobs in October, compared to 4,650,800 in September.

The added transportation jobs were part of an increase of 214,000 overall jobs in October that resulted in the U.S. unemployment rate being reduced to 5.8 percent.

The transportation sector with the highest employment increase was couriers and messengers, which gained 4,100 jobs in October. The sector had 581,000 jobs in October, up from 576,900 in September.

The biggest drop in employment in the transportation sector took place in the water transportation industries, which lost 800 jobs in October. The category had 66,700 jobs in last month, down from 67,500 in September.