While June payrolls fell for the first time in six months, the transportation and warehousing sectors added 15,000 jobs during the month

, according to a report released Friday by the Department of Labor. This includes 1,000 additional workers at for-hire trucking companies, which boosted employment for the third straight month, according to Bob Costello, chief economist of the American Trucking Associations.

In his Weekly Economic Recap, Costello said motor carriers had hired 24,000 fewer people than the same period of last year.

The unemployment rate fell slightly to 9.5 percent from 9.7 percent in May. This is the lowest it has been since July 2009, Costello pointed out.

Overall, nonfarm payroll employment was down 125,000 in June, which reflected a 225,000 drop in the number of temporary Census workers. Private-sector payroll employment increased by 83,000 workers, compared to the 33,000 jobs created in May.

"Over the first half of the year, we've seen the creation of 600,000 private sector jobs - steady growth averaging 100,000 new private sector jobs each month," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. "While this steady private sector job growth is encouraging, the large number of Americans without a job reminds us we need to continue working to create jobs and grow the economy."