July employment down slightly from June

U.S. Class I railroads employed 158,916 people in mid-July, up 3.84% from July 2010, but down 0.27%—or 424 workers—from June 2011.

The year-over-year gain was highest in the Transportation (train and engine) or train crew group. The July number, 63,556, was up 5.14% from July 2010, but down 0.57%—545 crew members—from June 2011.

Only Professional and administrative workers declined year-over-year, down 0.76% from July 2010 levels. But that category added workers over the previous month (up 0.5%) and, along with Maintenance of way and structures (up 0.24%), defied the slippage in employment from the previous month among other categories.