Employment up year-over-year, dips from past month

Class I railroads employed 159, 333 people in mid-January, up 3.93% from January 2011, but down 0.24% overall from last December, according to figures provided by the Surface Transportation Board.

All six subcategories of employment gained ground from a year ago, with Transportation (train and engine) the most robust, up 4.84% from a year ago.

Employment in January slipped from the previous month, however, down 0.24% from December. Only two categories rose: Executives, officials, and staff assistants, up 0.43%, and Transportation (other than train and engine), up 0.65%.