WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Payroll processor ADP released a report on Wednesday showing private sector employment in the U.S. jumped by more than expected in the month of April.
The report said private sector employment shot up by 109,000 jobs in April after climbing by a downwardly revised 61,000 jobs in March.
Economists had expected private sector employment to grow by 85,000 jobs compared to the addition of 62,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.
The increase in private sector employment in April marked the fastest pace of job growth since January 2025.
'The uptick in private payroll gains from the ADP employment report not only suggests a stable labor market, but one that was potentially warming despite the outbreak of the war in Iran,' said Matthew Martin, Senior U.S. Economist at Oxford Economics.
'The question is whether the war will reverse momentum,' he added. 'Heightened uncertainty impacts the labor market with a lag, and the fiscal stimulus from higher refunds will eventually wane, particularly as gas prices remain elevated.'
ADP said health care's continued strength, along with a rebound in trade, transportation, and utilities, fueled the acceleration in hiring.
Employment in the education and health services sector increased by 61,000 jobs, while the trade, transportation, and utilities added 25,000 jobs.
The report also said employment at small establishments climbed by 65,000 jobs, employment at large establishments rose by 42,000 jobs and employment at medium establishments crept up by 2,000 jobs.
'Small and large employers are hiring, but we're seeing softness in the middle,' said ADP chief economist Dr. Nela Richardson. 'Large companies have resources to deploy, and small ones are the most nimble, both important advantages in a complex labor environment.'
ADP also said pay growth for job-stayers slowed slightly to 4.4 percent, while year-over-year pay gains for job-changers were steady at 6.6 percent.
On Friday, the Labor Department is scheduled to release its more closely watched report on employment in the month of April, which includes both public and private sector jobs.
Economists currently expect employment to rise by 63,000 jobs in April after surging by 178,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 4.3 percent.
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