Goods-producing private companies added 95,000 jobs last month, fueled by strong growth in construction and manufacturing, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said last week in a monthly employment report that suggested building momentum in the economy.
The hiring at trucking companies, which came after the industry cut payrolls by 5,100 jobs in January, was the strongest monthly gain in the BLS report since February 2012.
The growth comes as several measures for freight shipments and equipment orders suggest companies are more assured about demand growth in coming months. The jobs report pointed to stronger shipping in coming months, with manufacturing companies adding 28,000 jobs, hiring expanding sharply in the mining sector and construction growing amid mild winter weather.
“We’ve seen a lot of action this year on the industrial side of freight,” said Mark Montague, an industry pricing analyst with DAT Solutions LLC.
