Private Sector, Labor Market | featured news

Private-sector employers added 192,000 jobs in January, more than economists were expecting, in a sign of growth in the labor market, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

U.S. companies added 158,000 jobs in October, data from a payrolls processor showed on Thursday in a revamped report on the private sector labor market. The historical data for the ADP National Employment Report was revised as part of the new methodology, which was used for the first time in the October report. September's increase has halved to 88,200 new jobs from an initially reported 162,000.

U.S. companies hired the fewest people in seven months in April, a worrisome sign for a labor market that has struggled to gain traction and adding to concerns that the economy has lost some momentum.

Private-sector jobs in the U.S. increased 209,000 last month, according to a national employment report published by payroll processor ADP. The gain was just above economists' median expectation of 200,000 contained in a survey done by Dow Jones Newswires.

The ADP report showed private employers added 206,000 jobs this month, prompting economists to raise their forecasts for the U.S. labor report on Friday.

The U.S. labor market improved in November, with the number of jobs lost in the private sector falling again and the number of planned layoffs also easing, separate reports showed on Wednesday.