The auto industry did its part in January to help turnaround the U.S. economy by adding more than 15,000 new jobs. The sector’s increased employment was fueled by higher vehicle sales.
According to The Detroit News, auto manufactures and parts makers added about 7,900 new jobs during the month of January. That represents a significant portion of the 50,000 total manufacturing jobs created during the month.
New and used auto dealers added another 7,400 jobs in January. Dealerships in the United States now employ about 1.08 million people, up 41,000 jobs from the same period a year earlier.
Despite those strong gains, the overall U.S. auto industry hasn’t fully recovered from the market crash of 2009. In 2006 automakers and parts suppliers employed about 1.1 million people in the United States, while 1.24 million people worked in dealerships.
The U.S.’ unemployment rate dipped to 8.3 percent in January, the lowest level recorded in three years.
