Unemployment Rate Holds at 9.5%; Trucking Jobs Increase

The U.S. unemployment rate held at 9.5% in July as total payrolls fell, and the trucking industry’s payrolls jumped by almost 6,000, the Labor Department said Friday.

Trucking added 5,900 jobs last month, bringing the total to 1.24 million jobs. The trucking industry’s payrolls rose 5.9% from July 2009, Labor figures showed.

Overall, the economy lost 131,000 jobs, led by a cut of 143,000 temporary federal census jobs that ended. Private employers added 71,000 jobs, following a 31,000 gain in June.

Economists had forecast a 90,000 increase in private employment and for the unemployment rate to increase to 9.6%, Bloomberg reported.

Private employment gains were led by manufacturing, which jumped by 36,000 jobs. Within that category, employment in the motor vehicle and parts industries rose 21,000.

Service industry employment fell for a second month, led by an 11,000 cut in construction jobs.

Government payrolls plunged by 202,000, led by the cut in federal census workers.