From moving people into and around New York City to delivering food and storing goods, the transportation and warehousing sector is an important component of the local economy. During the pandemic, visitor numbers fell dramatically, stunting the demand for passenger transportation. At the same time, demand for goods skyrocketed due to shifts in consumer and business buying behaviors amid the implementation of social distancing measures. The pandemic accelerated an existing trend of increasing e-commerce sales; in sales tax year 2023, e-commerce accounted for 18 percent of retail taxable sales in the City. The sector’s relatively strong job gains over the past few years were fueled by increased demand for moving goods rather than people during the pandemic.
