Financial News: U.S. Private Sector Job Growth Exceeds Estimates In

U.S. Private Sector Job Growth Exceeds Estimates In February

03/04/2026 - 09:48:00 (RTTNews)

(RTTNews) - A report released by payroll processor ADP on Wednesday showed private sector employment in the U.S. increased by more than expected in the month of February.

ADP said private sector employment climbed by 63,000 jobs in February after rising by a downwardly revised 11,000 jobs in January.

Economists had expected private sector employment to grow by 48,000 jobs compared to the addition of 22,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.

Private sector employment saw the biggest increase since jumping by 104,000 jobs in July 2025, led by job growth in the construction and education and health services sectors, ADP said.

The report said the education and health services sector added 58,000 jobs, while employment in the construction sector rose by 19,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, ADP said employment in the professional and business services sector fell by 30,000 jobs and the manufacturing sector shed 5,000 jobs.

"We've seen an increase in hiring and pay gains remain solid, especially for job-stayers," said ADP chief economist Dr. Nela Richardson.

"But with hiring concentrated in only a few sectors, our data shows no widespread pay benefit from changing jobs," she added. "In fact, the pay premium for switching employers hit a record low in February."

ADP said pay growth for job-stayers was unchanged at 4.5 percent year-over-year in February, while annualized pay growth for job-changers slowed to 6.3 percent.

On Friday, the Labor Department is scheduled to release its more closely watched monthly employment report, which includes both public and private sector jobs.

Economists currently expect employment to increase by 60,000 jobs in February after jumping by 130,000 jobs in January, while the unemployment rate is expected to tick up to 4.4 percent from 4.3 percent.

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