(Source: Freight Waves, December 27, 2022)
Employment numbers with the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads in mid-November were the highest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, according to data collected by the Surface Transportation Board. However, some are questioning whether some aspects of other employment data collected by the board truly reflect the state of employment in the industry. There is also a broader question of whether the pace of hiring is going fast enough to surpass pre-pandemic levels. In November, the number of employees working for the Class I railroads totaled 118,944, which is above May 2020 but below the total of 124,430 in April 2020, during the early days of the pandemic in the U.S. November’s total is also a 4.4% increase year over year (y/y) and a 0.62% increase sequentially.
Full story: Freight Waves