advertisement

---

It didn’t take long for the U.S. Class Is to get back into hiring mode after a slow start to 2007.

As of mid-February, the large roads employed a total of 166,405 people, a 0.6 percent increase compared with mid-January’s level and 1 percent rise from February 2006’s count, according to Surface Transportation Board data. The roads’ ranks had declined 1.3 percent from mid-December to mid-January.

The executives/officials/staff assistants workforce segment totaling 10,219 posted the largest year-over-year increase at 6 percent while the maintenance-of-way and structures staff totaling 34,154 registered the largest month-over-month gain at 2.8 percent.

The Class Is’ maintenance of equipment and stores workforce in mid-February totaled 30,281 — 1 percent larger than last year’s and 0.2 percent bigger than January’s ranks. In addition, professional and administrative staff rose 1.5 percent to 13,885 compared with January’s level. The workforce segment also increased less than 1 percent year over year.

Meanwhile, the large roads’ transportation (train and engine service) staff decreased 0.4 percent month over month to 70,681, but increased 0.5 percent year over year.

Transportation (other than T&E) ranks totaled 7,185, a 0.4 percent decrease compared with January and 2.3 percent drop compared with February 2006.